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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLD-034-12Clar*wn MUNICIPAL CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: December 10, 2012 Resolution #: l - By -law#: Report #: CLD- 034 -12 File #: Subject: VOLUNTEER PROGRAM — CLARINGTON ANIMAL SHELTER RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CLD- 034 -12 be received; 2. THAT staff continue to work towards developing a volunteer program at the Clarington Animal Shelter and report back; and 3. THAT all interested parties listed in Report CLD- 034 -12 be advised of Council's decision. Submitted by: --14 Reviewed by:���° �Pa ' L. B rie, CMO Franklin Wu, unicipal Clerk Chief Administrative Officer PLB /CAG CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905 - 623 -3379 REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 2 1. BACKGROUND On March 26, 2012, Council adopted the following Resolution #GPA-115-12: THAT Report CLD-009-12 be received; THAT the Animal Services' service levels remain status quo; THAT the issue of After Hours Emergency Animal Services be referred to the 2013 Budget for consideration; and THAT staff report back on expanding the level of volunteerism at the Animal Shelter. The Clarington Animal Shelter has relied fully on municipal staff since it opened in 1990 at which time we had one full-time staff person, serving a population of 50,000. Since 1990 we have grown to four full-time officers, one part-time officer, and a part-time clerk serving a community of 90,000. The duties performed by the Animal Services Staff -- generally fall into the following areas: Kennel technician Animal intake Medication administration Routine medical treatment Feeding Animal transfers to/from veterinarian clinics Animal transfers to/from pet stores Essential socialization of animals Essential exercising of animals Essential grooming Shelter attendant Cleaning cages and runs Mopping floors Dish washing Laundry Basic care and keeping of interior of shelter Food orders, pick-up, stock Adoptions Application review/approval Applicant assessment including interviews and reference checks Animal promotion General Phone and counter reception Retrieve road kill Enforcement Public education Investigations Routine patrols Laying of charges Testif in g in court REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 3 2. RESEARCH FINDINGS 2.1 Staff contacted several area municipalities and humane societies to gather information regarding their volunteer programs, including: City of Oshawa, Town of Whitby, City of Pickering, Shelter of Hope, Town of Georgina, City of Toronto, Durham Region Humane Society and the Kitchener/Waterloo Humane Society. 2.2 The Town of Whitby (PAW) and City of Oshawa do not currently accept volunteers. The City of Oshawa, however, has developed a program and is in the recruiting stage. All other shelters contacted provide volunteer opportunities of some sort. 2.3 The humane societies are charitable organizations and rely entirely on donations to operate their facilities. Therefore, their volunteer programs tend to be very sophisticated and the duties assigned to their volunteers include duties also performed regularly by their staff (ie. cleaning cages, grooming, walking, feeding). The volunteer programs run through municipal facilities vary in sophistication but in almost all cases, the duties of the volunteers are limited to cuddling cats and walking dogs, and assisting at promotional events.-While staff perform their "regular duties" similar to those detailed above in section 1.0 and deemed to be providing the necessities of life for the animals, the volunteer work is viewed as supplemental 2.4 Feedback from all organizations who provide volunteer opportunities indicates that to operate a volunteer program requires significant staff time to develop, implement, and maintain. Volunteer duties need to be clearly defined and communicated to the volunteers. The volunteers need to be trained and closely supervised. There appears to be no consistency as to whether or not volunteers are scheduled for shifts or are accepted on a "drop-in" basis. Further, they reported that they tend to have some very committed volunteers and others who tend to be less reliable, and there is a frequent turnover of volunteers. As such, to ensure sufficient hands on deck to perform all of the necessary duties and to maintain a healthy environment, all organizations confirmed that the volunteers are supplemental to their staff compliment. In every case, the program is either managed by the on-site shelter manager/supervisor or a designated staff whose primary responsibility is running the volunteer program. 3. COMMENTS 3.1 Volunteer Availability The Clarington Animal Shelter regularly receives enquiries from residents looking to volunteer at the Shelter. Most recently, the number of enquiries increased in response to a newspaper article which was misunderstood by the readership as suggesting that the Shelter was in jeopardy of closing due to lack of staff and funding. Since the opening of the Shelter, we have not accepted volunteers at our Shelter environment due REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 4 to liability concerns. That said, however, over the past 10 years we have regularly accepted high school co-op students through the School Board sanctioned program. 3.2 Risks and Accountability With any volunteer program there are inherent risks, and to involve animals for whom there is little to no known history adds to those risks. Our staff who regularly work with the animals are required to hold a diploma in Animal Care or Health Technician from a community college or Canada Association for Laboratory Animal Certification which includes training regarding animal behaviour, health and handling. Additionally, our staff has been formally trained in the areas of customer service including standards under the AODA, workplace harassment, safe work practices and workplace hazardous materials (WHMIS). The mandatory training and skills requirements for our staff, along with standard operating procedures and protocols, are in place to provide a safe and healthy workplace for staff, the animals, and our shelter visitors while minimizing risk to the staff, animals and the municipality. Failure to follow the standard operating procedures and practices can result in: • Bite/scratch or other physical injury • Unsafe chemical exposure to person or animal • Compromised reputation within the community • Compromised health of the environment (eg. Ringworm, upper respiratory, etc.) which could lead to outbreaks • Exposure to litigation (eg. inaccurate record keeping, euthanizing the wrong animal; causing harm or injury to an owned animal, adopting an owned animal, inappropriate feeding, failure to provide medical attention, etc.) • Motor vehicle accident • Exposure to being hit by a vehicle when working on or near a highway All shelters contacted reported that prior to accepting them into the program, their volunteers are advised of the possibility of injury (primarily bites/scratches), are required to sign a liability waiver, and are trained on their duties in an effort to reduce liability. That said, most organizations are humane societies which are charitable organizations. Municipalities, on the other hand, are sometimes viewed as "having deep pockets" and thus a volunteer program which inherently exposes members of the public (ie volunteers) to known risks, must be carefully considered and planned to include measures to mitigate those risks. Staff are ultimately accountable to the Municipality for their actions while at work, and failure to follow corporate policies and standard operation procedures and protocols can lead to disciplinary actions. Volunteers vary in skills, interest, background, personal motivators, and work ethic. Typically they would not necessarily work in the animal field and therefore it is reasonable to assume that most volunteers would lack the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to meet our safe work standards when working with the animals. REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 5 Additionally, volunteers give freely of their time and while well intended, other conflicting priorities can easily take precedence. 3.3 Benefits Every shelter offering volunteer opportunities reported positively of the benefits of their volunteer program. As well, research of volunteer programs of shelters throughout North America (most prevalent in the Humane Societies) indicates benefits to the shelter operations, the animals, the volunteers and the community as a whole. As stated earlier in this report, Animal Services Officers' duties extend beyond providing the basic necessities of caring for the animals in the shelter. Allowing volunteers to augment the Officers' duties, such as walking dogs and socializing with cats, can reduce staff stress. The greater number of people interacting with the animals expands our communication network and contact list of promoting responsible pet ownership. The efforts of volunteers can increase and expedite the opportunities for adoption. Additional socialization helps prepare the animals for a new home as they may appear happier and healthier. Increased opportunities to find animals a new home benefit the animals while reducing sheltering costs. There is a genuine interest for many residents to spend their spare time helping animals in need,and they simply want to be part of the solution to the number of homeless animals. Volunteering at a shelter provides an opportunity for members of our community to meet new people, build confidence, and improve their mood and health, while doing something they enjoy through valued efforts. Animal Shelter volunteers are reported to be enthusiastic and brimming with energy and compassion which can only positively impact the animals. Positive energy can be infectious and can result in enhancing our image within the community. 3.4 Challenges The benefits of offering a volunteer program are not typically realized without challenges. As in any business, difficult decisions must be made. In a shelter environment, on occasion an animal may have to be euthanized for behaviour or health reasons. Feedback from research indicates that volunteers often have difficulty accepting these decisions which has resulted in "bad press", thus jeopardizing the public confidence in the shelter programs and its image. The duties detailed in Section 1.0 of this Report are performed by the Animal Services Officers through employment obligations agreed to by the Municipality and CUPE Local 74 as outlined in the Collective Agreement. Any actions undertaken by a volunteer cannot compromise the collective agreement. Research indicates that successful volunteer programs in a municipal environment provide for a program whereby volunteer roles are clearly defined and communicated and whereby the volunteer REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 6 activities are closely monitored and managed. The volunteer roles are typically limited to dog walking, cat cuddling and brushing, and assistance with and participation in adoption events, including PetSmart adoptions. 3.5 Opportunities at the Clarington Shelter Prior to writing this Report, the opportunity for implementing a volunteer program at the Clarington Animal Shelter had not been investigated. Based on research findings, there may be an opportunity to develop a program for Clarington. Prior to implementing a program however, there is a significant amount of work to be undertaken, including: • Establishing program goals and objectives • Developing program policies and procedures including defined volunteer roles • Developing a training program and supporting documentation • Preparing public communications • Preparing liability release and waiver • Investigating and addressing WSIB liability implications • Achieving concurrence with Local 74 As Council is well aware, the Clarington Animal Shelter has recently struggled to maintain their service level standards. While the benefits of a volunteer program could reasonably be realized through a similar volunteer program at our shelter, and while the preparation work detailed above is not difficult, it is quite time consuming and the staff resources to develop and manage the program simply are not yet in place. At this time, it is recommended that staff continue to work towards developing a program, and report back on a recommended volunteer program. 4. CONCURRENCE This report has been reviewed by Nancy Taylor, Director of Finance/Treasurer, and Andy Allison, Municipal Solicitor who concur with the recommendations. 5. CONCLUSION Research findings clearly indicate that volunteer programs at an animal shelter, whether it be a Humane Society or a municipally operated facility is a win-win-win situation. A successful program would be defined as a program which is meeting its goals and objectives while not compromising any employment obligations and which minimizes risks to the animals, staff, volunteers and the public confidence in the shelter. The success of a volunteer program appears to rely on four main elements: • a carefully defined program that suits the needs of the shelter which includes defined rules, procedures, and training • a staff person dedicated to managing the program to ensure that the goals are being met • staff support of the program • enthusiastic, compassionate, dedicated volunteers REPORT NO.: CLD-034-12 PAGE 7 The success of volunteer programs in many, many other shelters support the notion that Clarington could also offer a volunteer program. The carrying out of such a program though relies very much on being well-managed. Given the current resource constraints, staff are recommending that staff be directed to continue to work towards developing a program, and report back at such time when the necessary resources are in place to implement and manage the program. CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the following priorities of the Strategic Plan: (Place an "X" in the box for all that apply) Promoting economic development Maintaining financial stability X Connecting Clarington Promoting green initiatives Investing in infrastructure Showcasing our community Not in conformity with Strategic Plan Staff Contact: Anne Greentree, Deputy Clerk Attachments: None List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: CUPE Local 74