Managing Foster Status

Foster Status Types

Every foster has a status that controls whether they can receive assignments and what actions are available on the profile.

• Active: Approved and available for foster assignments.
• Pending: New application awaiting review.
• Training: In orientation or training and allowed to receive appropriate assignments.
• Inactive: Archived or no longer actively fostering.
• Blocked: Ineligible to foster. This is the strongest restriction and prevents assignments.
• Suspended: Temporarily restricted from fostering.
• Denied: Application denied, with the record kept for reference.

Change a Foster Status

1. Open the foster profile.
2. Click the status badge in the hero or the status row in the Contact card.
3. Choose the new status in the Change Status dialog.
4. Add notes when required.
5. Click Update Status.

The dialog shows the current status, available next statuses, status descriptions, warnings, and a notes field. Notes are required for restrictive changes such as Blocked, Suspended, Denied, or Inactive.

Pending applications are handled through the profile alert with Approve and Decline actions rather than the regular status dialog.

Which Statuses Allow Assignments

• Active and Training can receive new foster assignments.
• Pending, Inactive, Blocked, Suspended, and Denied cannot receive new assignments.

Changing a foster's status does not automatically end current assignments. Return, transfer, or edit assignments separately when a pet needs to move.

Status Alerts

The profile shows alerts for important statuses:

• Pending: Approval alert with Approve and Decline.
• Training: Informational training notice.
• Blocked: Destructive alert with saved reason when present.
• Suspended: Warning notice.
• Denied: Destructive alert with saved reason when present.

The latest status notes also appear in the Status Notes card on the profile.

Status History

Recent status changes appear in the Activity Timeline on the foster profile along with assignments and documents. Each status change records the previous status, new status, timestamp, staff member when available, and notes.

Dual-Role Status Behavior

When someone is both a foster and an adopter, setting the foster status to Blocked can also block the linked adopter role. Other status changes are managed independently by role.

The role switcher on the profile lets you move between linked foster, adopter, and volunteer records.

Reviewing Pending Applications

When someone applies through your public foster form:

1. Open Fosters.
2. Filter the list to Pending.
3. Open the applicant's profile.
4. Review their contact information, custom form answers, notes, and documents.
5. Use the pending application alert to click Approve or Decline.

Approving changes the foster to Active and can queue the foster confirmation email when that template is enabled for automatic sending. Declining changes the record to a restricted status and does not send an automatic decline email.

Next Steps

• Assign pets to fosters
• Manage foster profiles
• Review foster applications