Finding a shift
Narrow the list with the boxes at the top:
Each shift shows its hours and, if it has one, its location. Under that is one line for each role the shift needs: the role’s name and how it is taken.
Once somebody has taken part of a role, the line also says which stretches are still Free.
If nothing is open, the page says Nothing open to sign up for.
What decides which shifts you can take
A role you can take has a Sign up button. A role you cannot take has a sentence instead, saying why. The sentence tells you what to do next, so read it before asking anyone.
Approvals are given on your person record by a coordinator (see Volunteers). A role that does not need approval is open to anybody.
Checks made when you press Sign up
Some things can only be checked once you have chosen your hours, so a role can show Sign up and still refuse. When it does, the form shows the reason and nothing is booked.- You are already busy. You are already signed up for something else at that time. This counts every shift you are on, anywhere, including ones where you came along with somebody else.
- Somebody got there first. Somebody already has that time, or All 2 places are taken for part of that time. Choose different hours.
- Your rescue’s rules. Your rescue can limit how far ahead sign-ups open, when they close before a shift starts, how many hours you may have in a day or a week, and how many sign-ups you may have in a day. Each refusal names its limit, for example Sign-ups open 14 days ahead. This one is further out than that. (For how these are set, see Volunteer roles and rules.)
- Your account. That account is not linked to a person record yet, so it cannot be signed up. A coordinator has to link it.
Choosing your hours
Press Sign up beside the role. A small form opens under it. For a role taken whole, the form says so and shows the shift’s hours. There is nothing to choose. For a role taken in parts:
The form then says what you will be down for. Press Sign up to take it, or Cancel to close the form.
Your shift now shows under the role, in green: you are down for it, with its times. It also appears on My shifts. Signing up adds the Volunteer role to your person record, and to the record of anybody you bring, if it was not there already.
Bringing someone with you
The form has a Someone with me box for one other person: a partner doing the shift with you, or a guardian for a volunteer under 18. They share your place rather than taking another one. Choose them, then say what they are under They are my: Companion or Guardian. Who you can choose depends on your role:- If your role can See People, you can search for anybody in People.
- Otherwise the box lists only people you already know through RescueConsole: people you have been on a sign-up with before, and people whose address on their record is the same as yours. The address match needs the first line and the postal code of your own address to be filled in. Up to 25 names are listed, with a Filter box when there are six or more. If there is nobody to choose, the box says so.
- Room for them. A role can limit how many people share one place. This role is one person per place, or At most 2 people can share a place on this role.
- Under 18. Anybody under 18 on the day of the shift needs an adult (18 or over on that day) on the same sign-up. Ages are worked out from the date of birth on each person’s record, so the adult’s record needs one.
- Approval. If the role needs approval, the person you bring needs it too. The refusal starts with their name.
- Free. They cannot already be signed up for something else at that time.
Waiting lists
There are none. When a role is full it says Every place is taken. A place comes free when somebody gives their shift up, so look again later.Giving a shift up
Beside a shift you are down for, press Give it up. The page asks Why are you giving this up? Optional, but it is what a coordinator sees. Type a reason if you like, then press Give it up, or Never mind to keep the shift. What happens next depends on how soon the shift starts:- Outside your rescue’s notice period, or when it has none, the shift is given up at once. The page says That is given up. The time is back on the calendar for somebody else.
- Inside the notice period, a coordinator has to agree. The page tells you so, and that you are still down for the shift until they answer. The shift turns amber and says you are waiting on a coordinator to release it. There is nothing more to press; you cannot take the request back.