Foster Care Tab

Accessing the Foster Tab

1. Open an animal's detail page
2. Click the Foster Management tab

This tab appears when foster home management is enabled for your organization.

Who Can See This Tab

• Owners, Admins, Moderators - Full access to all foster information
• Active Foster Volunteers - Can view and submit updates for animals they're fostering

Current Foster Placement

When an animal is in foster care, you'll see:

Foster Volunteer Information

• Volunteer name and contact details
• Placement start date
• Home visit status (if required by your organization)

Foster Status

• Active - Animal is currently in foster care
• Pending - Awaiting foster placement
• Ended - Foster period has concluded

Foster Updates

Foster volunteers can submit updates about the animal's progress:

Types of Updates

• General Updates - Day-to-day observations
• Behavioral Notes - Changes in behavior or training progress
• Medical Concerns - Health issues that need attention
• Photo Updates - Visual progress documentation

Viewing Updates

Updates appear in chronological order showing:

• Date and time submitted
• Update type and content
• Photos (if attached)
• Volunteer who submitted

For Foster Volunteers

If you're the active foster volunteer, you can:

1. Click Add Update to submit a new update
2. Choose the update type
3. Write your notes
4. Attach photos if relevant
5. Submit the update

Foster History

View previous foster placements for this animal:

• Past foster volunteers
• Placement dates
• Duration of each placement
• Reason for ending (if recorded)

Managing Foster Placements

Ending a Foster Placement

Moderators can end a foster placement when:

• The animal is being adopted
• Transferring to a new foster home
• Returning to the rescue

Creating a New Placement

To place an animal in foster care:

1. Go to Foster Opportunities > Manage
2. Find or create a foster request for the animal
3. Match with an approved foster volunteer
4. The placement will appear in this tab

Foster Notes for Adopters

Important foster updates can be shared with potential adopters:

1. Mark updates as "Share with Adopters" when relevant
2. These notes appear in the animal's public profile
3. Helps adopters understand the animal's personality and needs

Home Visits

If your organization requires home visits:

• View home visit status for the foster volunteer
• See completion date and notes
• Required visits show as pending until completed

Best Practices

• Regular updates - Encourage foster volunteers to submit weekly updates
• Photo documentation - Photos help with adoption marketing
• Medical alerts - Flag any health concerns immediately
• Behavioral observations - Note changes that affect adoption placement
• Transition notes - Document handoff information when placements end