Pets on the Green
Pets on the Green
Everything a school, nursery, care home, community group or local authority needs to check before booking Pets on the Green. Risk assessments are published in full below. Certificates are sent on request — usually the same working day.
Held by Ciera O’Rourke, Founder and Lead Practitioner. Certificates available on request.
Level 2 Technical Certificate in Animal Care · Principles of Animal Biology · Habitats and Rehabilitation · British Wildlife Species · Introduction to Caring for Farm Livestock · Animal Management Theory · Level 1 units in handling, restraint, accommodation and movement of animals — all City & Guilds via NESCOT.
Grades: Distinction in Animal Care Synoptic Assignment, Principles of Animal Biology, British Wildlife Species, Habitats and Rehabilitation, Caring for Farm Livestock, Animal Care Theory Exam, Assist with the Care of Animals, and Movement, Handling and Accommodation. Merit in Handling and Restraint, and Merit overall for the Level 1 Certificate in Land Based Studies.
Care Learning — Safeguarding Children Level 3 · Safeguarding Children Levels 1 and 2 · Autism and Learning Disability · Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome · Positive Behaviour Support · Prevention and Management of Violence and Self-Harm · Mental Capacity · Mental Health Act · Enhancing Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health Challenges · Communication Skills.
Children First — safeguarding.
Virtual College by Netex — Understanding Young Minds.
City & Guilds via NESCOT — Level 2 Health & Safety for Land Based Industries · Safe and Effective Working Practices in Land Based Industries.
Care Learning — Health & Safety including COSHH and RIDDOR · First Aid.
Three completed qualifications:
Diploma in Veterinary Medicine — Alison (CPD certified).
Level 3 Animal Management, Year 1 · Level 3 Award in Education and Training.
Purple Pets (Lingfield Pet & Exotics) — full care of exotic and domestic species · The Reptile Barn, Epsom — reptile specialist · Freer Farm Boarding — boarding care and health monitoring · Boo’s Pad Dog Grooming, Warlingham.
Everyone who works unsupervised with children holds an Enhanced DBS check. All other team members working alongside Ciera hold at least a Basic check. Volunteers who work only with the animals are never on site while visitors are present and have no contact with children. Everyone is suitability screened, completes a safeguarding induction and follows a written code of conduct.
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Ciera O’Rourke, Director and Lead Practitioner — responsible for managing concerns and disclosures, referrals to Children’s Services or the police, liaison with schools and professionals, safeguarding records, and staff training and oversight.
Safeguarding concerns override confidentiality and are escalated without delay.
Written policies, risk assessments, logs and training records are maintained for all of the above.
Educational use is secondary to animal wellbeing. Handling is supervised and time-limited, rest days are scheduled, housing and enrichment are species-specific, and participation stops at the first sign of stress.
Every animal has daily welfare checks, behaviour observation, feeding logs, weight and health tracking, and veterinary oversight. Individual records cover common and scientific name, date of birth or arrival, sex and neuter status, breed or morph, source, health history, veterinary care, feeding schedule and supplements — giving traceability, licensing compliance and early detection of health issues.
We work with a named veterinary practice, whose details are provided to commissioning organisations on request.
Staff are trained on emergency procedures, with an emergency kit, carriers beside enclosures, a current animal inventory and assigned staff roles. The primary fire route is the bifolding doors to the garden assembly point, and headcounts are conducted for children, staff and animals.
Scenarios covered: fire, flooding, power outage, severe weather, animal escape and veterinary emergency.
Transport happens only when necessary, in species-specific secure carriers, with temperature control, continuous supervision and the shortest practical journey. Animals are not transported when unwell or distressed.
Published in full, per activity, venue type and species group. Reviewed annually and after any incident. We bring copies to every visit.
Handwashing facilities and sanitiser are provided in the animal room and carried to every mobile visit. Handling protocols are species-specific and set out inside each species risk assessment above. All animal handling is led by Pets on the Green staff; at school and group visits the setting's own staff manage behaviour and supervision.
Zoonoses. Reptiles can naturally carry Salmonella without appearing unwell, so hygiene is managed before, during and after handling. Hands are washed with soap and warm running water before and after contact; cuts are covered with a waterproof dressing; food and drink are kept away from handling areas; reptiles are never placed on eating surfaces. Hand sanitiser is not treated as a substitute for handwashing after reptile contact. Handling surfaces and equipment are cleaned with an appropriate animal-safe disinfectant.
Children are supervised closely so they do not put hands in mouths or eat before washing. As with any live animal, mammals may also carry bacteria, fungi, parasites or mites; no live-animal experience can honestly guarantee zero zoonotic risk.
Email ciera.rose@icloud.com or call 07748 656269 and tell us which documents your organisation needs. We can invoice a local authority directly and have done so.
By appointment only — book online, or ask about a Sunday
