Animal rescues and shelters play a vital role in caring for and rehoming thousands of animals each year. Behind the scenes, dedicated volunteers and foster carers provide much-needed support, ensuring animals receive the care, enrichment and attention they need while they wait for their forever homes.
Gaining a formal qualification in animal care not only enhances your skills but also opens doors for valuable work in animal care, whether as a volunteer or in a paid position. With a strong foundation in animal welfare, handling and health, you can play an integral role in supporting the work of rescues and shelters.
Skilled volunteers and foster carers are the backbone of animal shelters
Rescue organisations rely on volunteers and foster carers for a wide range of tasks, from feeding and cleaning to providing temporary respite for animals and assisting with admin tasks.
However, working with rescue animals, many of whom have uncertain histories, behavioural challenges or medical needs, requires a deeper understanding of their care and welfare.
Rescue and shelter volunteers
Volunteers with formal training in animal care can:
- Recognise signs of stress, illness, or discomfort in animals and promptly notify shelter staff to ensure they receive veterinary care when needed
- Handle animals using low-stress techniques, improving their experience in a shelter environment
- Provide enrichment to help animals build confidence and prepare for adoption
- Understand the nutritional needs of different species and life stages, ensuring animals receive appropriate diets to support their health and wellbeing
- Support shelter staff in maintaining high welfare standards
Foster carers
In addition to on-site volunteers, foster carers are vital to animal rescue efforts. By opening their homes to animals in need, foster carers provide a safe, calm environment for animals to recover from illness or injury, decompress from shelter stress, or gain confidence in a home setting before adoption. Skilled foster carers with formal training in animal care are better equipped to:
- Support animals transition from a shelter environment to a home environment
- Train basic domestic skills such as living indoors
- Manage animals with more complex needs
- Detect health issues and administer basic health care
- Monitor behaviour
This knowledge ensures each animal receives the best possible support during their temporary stay or transition to living as a pet in a family home.
By studying the ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Health and Welfare), you not only gain hands-on practical training, but also gain the skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care. This ensures that you’re not just lending a hand, but actively contributing to the overall success of the shelter.
Education is your pathway to make a difference
Our ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Health and Welfare) is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary for working in animal care environments, including shelters and rescues. This course focuses on essential areas such as animal welfare, handling, health and nutrition.
One of the key components of this qualification is the work placement at two of Perth’s most renowned animal rescue organisations – Dogs’ Refuge Home and Cat Haven. These work placements offer you a real-world opportunity to gain hands-on experience while contributing to the care of animals in need.
Could you be a
pet Foster Carer?
Do you have the heart, home and time to help rescue pets in need of temporary love and care?
Sound like you? →
Here’s how this work placement enhances your learning and prepares you for a rewarding career or volunteer role:
More than “just volunteering”
For many, volunteering is the first step toward a fulfilling career in animal care. Whether you’re looking to gain industry experience, make a career change, or simply give back, formal training can help you make a bigger impact on the animals and organisations you support.
Our ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Health and Welfare) provides a strong foundation for roles in:
- Animal shelters and rescues
- Foster care programs
- Veterinary clinics
- Boarding facilities
- Pet daycare services
- At home services such pet sitting
- Wildlife rehabilitation
With a nationally recognised qualification under your belt, you’ll be well-equipped to take your passion for animal welfare to the next level, whether that’s in a volunteer role or paid employment.
Already making a difference? Let's take it further
If you’re already volunteering or fostering animals, you know how rewarding (and sometimes challenging) it can be. Whether you’re supporting your local shelter or opening your home to animals in need, your compassion and commitment make a huge difference.
Our ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Health and Welfare) is designed to build on that experience and give you the skills to take your impact even further. In this 14-week course, you’ll gain practical, real-world knowledge to enhance the care you already provide, including:
- Low-stress handling, enrichment and retraining techniques to boost an animal’s rehoming potential
- Ways to reduce stress and improve wellbeing in kennel, cattery or home environments
- Best practices for preventing infectious diseases in rescue and shelter settings
With hands-on experience at Dogs’ Refuge Home and Cat Haven, you’ll not only build confidence in your care techniques but also gain nationally recognised skills that could open doors to future opportunities – in both volunteer and paid roles.
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On-Site
ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Health & Welfare)
Dogs' Refuge & Cat Haven Program
Animal Health & Welfare
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ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (Online)
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