Permanent Care Applications
The Permanent Care Applications module manages the formal workflow for placing non-releasable animals into permanent care under NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Service) approval. It guides your team through drafting, submitting, and approving applications with all the documentation NSW regulations require.
Overview
When a wildlife carer determines that an animal cannot be released back into the wild, the next step is to decide between euthanasia and permanent care. If permanent care is the preferred outcome, this module handles the application process -- capturing the clinical rationale, collecting the required vet report, and tracking NPWS approval details.
Permanent care applications are accessible from the Permanent Care tab on any animal's detail page.
Application Workflow
Applications follow a structured multi-step workflow with clear status transitions.
DRAFT --> SUBMITTED --> APPROVED
--> REJECTED
1. Draft
A carer or admin creates a new application by clicking New Application. At this stage, the application captures the core justification and supporting details. The vet report can be uploaded now or added later before submission.
Who can do this: Users with the compliance:draft_permanent_care permission.
2. Submit
Once the application is complete and the vet report has been uploaded, it can be submitted for review. The system validates that all required fields are present before allowing submission.
Who can do this: Users with the compliance:submit_permanent_care permission. The "Save & Submit" shortcut is available during creation if you have both draft and submit permissions.
3. Approve or Reject
An authorised reviewer examines the submitted application and either approves it (recording the NPWS approval details) or rejects it with a reason.
- Approve: Requires entering the NPWS approval number and date. Upon approval, the animal's status is automatically updated to
PERMANENT_CARE. - Reject: Requires a written rejection reason, which is displayed on the application card for the applicant to review.
Who can do this: Users with the compliance:approve_permanent_care permission (typically Admin or Coordinator roles).
Application Fields
Core Fields (Required)
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Reason animal cannot be released | A detailed explanation of why the animal is non-releasable (e.g., permanent injury, imprinting, chronic condition) |
| Justification for permanent care | Why permanent care is preferred over euthanasia -- the case for the animal's ongoing quality of life |
Vet Report
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Vet Report (PDF) | A PDF document from the assessing veterinarian. Required before submission. Can be uploaded during creation or added to a draft later |
| Vet Name | Name of the assessing veterinarian |
| Vet Clinic | Name of the veterinary clinic |
| Vet Contact | Contact details for the vet |
The vet report upload supports PDF files only. Once uploaded, the report can be viewed directly from the application card.
Care Category
Applications can be categorised to indicate the intended purpose of the permanent care placement.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| EDUCATION | Animal will be used for educational programs or wildlife awareness |
| COMPANION | Animal will be kept as a companion animal under appropriate licensing |
| RESEARCH | Animal will be part of approved research activities |
Facility Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Keeper Name | The person who will be responsible for the animal's ongoing care |
| Facility Name | Name of the facility where the animal will be housed |
| Facility Address | Street address of the facility (supports address autocomplete) |
| Facility Suburb | Suburb or locality |
| Facility State | State (defaults to NSW) |
| Facility Postcode | Postal code |
NPWS Approval Details (Recorded at Approval)
These fields are captured when a reviewer approves the application.
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NPWS Approval Number | Yes | The official NPWS approval reference number (e.g., NPWS-2026-001) |
| NPWS Approval Date | Yes | The date NPWS granted approval |
| Facility Name | No | Can be updated or confirmed at approval time |
| Keeper Name | No | Can be updated or confirmed at approval time |
| Receiving Licence Number | No | The licence number of the receiving permanent carer |
| Care Category | No | Can be set or updated at approval time |
Additional Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Notes | Free-text field for any additional context or observations |
Validation Rules
The system enforces compliance guardrails at each stage of the workflow.
Drafting
- Animal ID, non-releasable reasons, and euthanasia justification are required to create a draft
- The animal must belong to the current organisation
Submission
All of the following must be present before an application can be submitted:
| Requirement | Reason |
|---|---|
| Vet report uploaded | NSW regulations require veterinary assessment before permanent care decisions |
| Non-releasable reasons provided | Must document why the animal cannot return to the wild |
| Euthanasia justification provided | Must document why permanent care is chosen over euthanasia |
If any of these are missing, the system returns a specific error message indicating what needs to be completed.
Approval
| Requirement | Reason |
|---|---|
| NPWS approval number | Official reference for the regulatory approval |
| NPWS approval date | Must be a valid date |
Status Restrictions
- Animals with a status of
TRANSFERREDcannot have new permanent care applications created - An animal cannot be set to
PERMANENT_CAREstatus without an approved application on file
Application Cards
Each application is displayed as a card on the Permanent Care tab, showing:
- Application category (if set) and status badge (colour-coded: grey for Draft, blue for Submitted, green for Approved, red for Rejected)
- Non-releasable reasons and euthanasia justification
- Vet details and report link (with a View PDF button for uploaded reports)
- NPWS approval details (for approved applications)
- Rejection reason (for rejected applications)
- Facility information
- Timeline stamps: created date, submitted date, and reviewed date
- Action buttons appropriate to the current status and user permissions
Permissions
| Action | Required Permission |
|---|---|
| View applications | Any authenticated organisation member |
| Create a draft application | compliance:draft_permanent_care |
| Submit an application for review | compliance:submit_permanent_care |
| Approve or reject an application | compliance:approve_permanent_care |
Integration with Other Modules
| Module | Integration |
|---|---|
| Animal Transfers | An approved permanent care application is required before recording a Permanent Care Placement transfer; approved animals are locked from further transfers |
| Animal Record History | Permanent care applications and status changes appear in the animal's history |
| Compliance Readiness Checklist | Permanent care documentation contributes to overall compliance scoring |
| Audit Logging | Application creation, submission, approval, and rejection are all logged with full metadata |
| Roles & Permissions | Three separate permissions control draft, submit, and approve actions, enabling a proper separation of duties |