Lifeline Caseworker

Cats; Dereham; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing support

26 days annual leave + bank holidays

Contributory pension and life cover

Salary Finance

Eye care vouchers

Discounted pet insurance

Job summary

Cats Protection is seeking a Lifeline Caseworker to support cats fleeing domestic abuse. The role is hybrid with frequent travel across East Anglia and involves advising carers, coordinating with partners, and carrying out admin tasks and driving duties.

You will work alongside a Lifeline team dedicated to rehoming cats temporarily while their owners regain safety. A DBS check is required and a UK driving licence is essential.

Qualifications

• Previous professional experience giving pet care advice.
• Experience in a public facing role.
• Understanding of problems faced by families fleeing domestic abuse with pets.
• A confident self-starter with volunteer/home visiting experience.
• A full, manual UK driving licence and comfortable driving a van.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Experience in animal welfare and basic cat welfare and behaviour advice.

Responsibilities

• Assess referrals and admit cats onto the Lifeline service.
• Provide pet advice and support to volunteer foster carers.
• Work with pet owners, domestic abuse support services and Cats Protection staff or other agencies.
• Extensive communication via phone, email and in person, plus daily admin and driving.

Skills

Pet care advice

Public facing

Domestic abuse with pets

Volunteer coordination

Full UK driving licence

Van driving

MS Office

Animal welfare experience

Cat welfare advice

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Team: Lifeline

Location: Hybrid with frequent travel in East Anglia

Work pattern: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Salary: Up to £28,454.94 per year

Contract: Permanent

Due to the nature of this role, this post is for women only and is exempt under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

This role requires a basic DBS check.

We are the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. All over the country, our passionate employees, volunteers and supporters are using their kindness and expertise to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

Responsibilities of our Lifeline Caseworker:

• assessing referrals and admitting cats onto the service

• providing pet advice and support to our volunteer foster carers

• working with other stakeholders such as pet owners, domestic abuse support services, and internal Cats Protection employees or other agencies

• extensive communication via phone, email and in person, as well as daily admin and extensive driving

About the Lifeline team:

• Lifeline is a pet fostering service for anyone fleeing domestic abuse

• the majority of our referrals come from women fleeing domestic abuse via women-only services.

• the service places cats into volunteer foster homes on a temporary basis until their owners can be reunited with them.

• our team consists of a National Lifeline Manager, Lifeline Manager and Lifeline Caseworkers

What we’re looking for in our Lifeline Caseworker:

• previous professional experience giving pet care advice

• previous experience in a public facing role

• an understanding of the problems experienced by families fleeing domestic abuse with pets

• a confident self-starter who has had experience of working with volunteers and home visiting

• a full, manual UK driving license and comfortable driving a van

• good working knowledge of Microsoft Office

• experience of working in the animal welfare sector and able to provide basic cat welfare and behaviour advice

What we can offer you in a role where your work helps improve cats’ lives:

• Health and wellbeing support to help you stay well while working remotely

• 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service

• A competitive contributory pension scheme and life assurance for peace of mind

• Financial wellbeing support, including access to Salary Finance

• Additional support such as eye care vouchers and confidential employee advice services

• Access to discounted pet insurance to help care for your pet’s health

• Learn more about our full reward package: here

Application closing date: 04November 2026

Virtual interview date: TBC

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. anonymised application form

2. virtual interview plus roleplay exercise on Microsoft Teams

Please email [e-mail] if you require any adjustments to be made for you to complete your application or to participate in the recruitment journey.