Earning Criteria

• 301: This individual will: know how legislation is created, constructed and interpreted by the courts and legal advisors, know how the legal system and courts operate, know the basic elements of what constitutes a crime, and who can be a defendant, know what constitutes evidence in a court case, know the possible difficulties which may arise with witness evidence in Court
• 302: This individual will: know the impact of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998, Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1994 and Criminal Procedure and investigations (CPIA) Act 1996 on operational procedures and daily duties, know when it is necessary to escalate an incident
• 303: This individual will: know how to recognise and comply with the legislation and rule covering witness statements, know how to recognise and comply with RSPCA policy and procedures when completing a witness statement, be able to produce a witness statement using RSPCA documentation to the required standard
• 304: This individual will: know how to identify animal welfare offences in contravention of sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, know how to recognise duty of care welfare offences in contravention of section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006
• 304: This individual will: know local authority appointed inspector and police powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 as regards taking animals into care and seizing evidence pertaining to animal cruelty, know the importance and relevance of post-conviction powers, be able to record factual information in issued pocket notebooks and accurately issue IS77s-RSPCA animal welfare assessment forms and accurately issue IS87s-RSPCA animal welfare warning notices
• 305: This individual will: be able to recognise and discuss an animal’s health and welfare and communicate findings to veterinary and other professionals, understand factors essential for maintaining animal health and welfare including common health problems, explain the application of animal first aid and recognise its limitations
• 305: This individual will: demonstrate how to identify, handle, restrain, accommodate, and prepare to transport animals to include healthy, sick or injured animals, maintain hygiene when handling animals and recognise common zoonoses and parasites
• 306: This individual will: be able to identify when euthanasia needs to be carried out, be able to identify the appropriate equipment to perform euthanasia on an animal, be able to perform euthanasia using the methods outlined in the RSPCA guidelines, be able to handle ethical issues around animal euthanasia compassionately
• 307: This individual will: be able to recognise and comply with RSPCA policy and procedures to include storage and handling of RSPCA issued captive bolt and blank cartridges, be able to identify methods of dispatch for a range of animals and demonstrate the use of humane stunning equipment and pithing rod maintaining health and safety
• 307: This individual will: be able to use a captive bolt and blank cartridge and safe handling techniques, live firing and animal dispatch procedures, be able to perform effective stunning on large animals by means of a captive bolt and demonstrate the use of a pithing rod
• 308: This individual will: know how to identify the major species of farm animal, and use appropriate safe handling techniques when interacting with them, know how to recognise and describe the major health and welfare problems of farm animals, understand the requirements necessary to ensure compliance with current legislation, be able to recognise the requirements of a person’s responsibilities in relation to the codes of recommendations for the welfare of livestock
• 309: This individual will: know and understand relevant legal and organisational requirements for responding to an incident, be able to obtain any necessary additional information which will support response to incidents, be able to respond to incidents
• 310: This individual will: be able to apply wildlife law as included in the RSPCA Inspectorate Legal Handbook, be able to apply wildlife law linked to poisoning and trapping offences, be able to apply wildlife law that protects mammals and birds, be able to apply the role of Defra/Natural England/Welsh Assembly in issuing licenses
• 311: This individual will: know the commonly-kept species of exotic animals and the requirements necessary to ensure compliance with current legislation relating to their keeping, be able to look after the welfare needs of different exotic animals, and carry out an assessment of their welfare state
• 311: This individual will: be able to recognise and describe common health problems experienced by exotic animals, be able to safely handle, restrain and transport exotic animals, be able to recognise common zoonotic diseases and parasites and describe precautions to prevent their transmission