The ‘Purrfect’ Placement: Exploring the RSPCA Black Cat Cafe
An integral aspect of our employment pathway program, Explore is that our participants complete a work placement to put the skills and knowledge they learned into practice to gain real-world experience to add to their resumes.
At HPHH, we always do things a little differently. Instead of carting our participants off to the same businesses for their placements, we source and secure a position suited to their goals. Whether they want to be a drone operator, a vet or a barista – we find something that suits them.
Finding workplaces to support our participant needs and capabilities can take time. But we are lucky to have a café close to home that has taken two of our Explore participants under their wing to teach them the ways of barista life: Black Cat Café.
Located at the RSPCA Wacol, Black Cat Café has a range of food and drinks available, both grab-and-go and dine-in options. They also have many vegan, vegetarian, dairy and gluten free alternatives available, they only use humane food, and they Choose Wisely, with all eggs being free range and meats from higher welfare farms. 100% of café profits go to animals in need.
What makes Black Cat Café unique is the cats and the amazing kind and friendly staff. As the name implies, there is an enclosure at the café with the cutest cats available for adoption at the RSPCA, all desexed and health checked, ready for their ‘fur-ever’ homes.
Much like the ‘wonder-fur-l’ rescue cats, our participants have unique requirements and personalities. To support in the best way possible, Café Manager Zoe Russell says the first step is to get to know each trainee, understand their personality and needs. For some they prefer support and structure while others like to learn on the job.
“Some need a lot of supporting documentation and structure around the food safety and procedural side. Some really enjoy and thrive by learning through hands-on experience. By looking at the participants as individuals and revolving the training around them and their strengths and weaknesses, I have found it makes them more eager to get involved and learn from the experience,” Zoe says.
Given our participants can have physical or mental health challenges, Black Cat Café made adjustments to ensure they worked in a safe and inclusive environment. Zoe says the main adjustment was to ensure a staff member was always available for them to shadow, support and help them learn in the way that best suits them.
Zoe would encourage other businesses to mentor our Explore participants, to help them succeed and learn about how to interact with people of all abilities.
“Everyone deserves a fair chance. This is a value that the RSPCA and I hold close to our hearts. Being a part of a program like this really demonstrates that in the right environment, and with the right support, anyone can be successful. It just takes time, patience and a little bit of TLC,” Zoe says.
“I love meeting new people and I think that for my growth, and the growth of my team, this is a great opportunity to learn and understand how to support and work with other people with different abilities to our own.”
Want to work with HPHH as a placement partner for our Explore Program? Get in touch with us at hello@hphhfoundation.org or call us at 1300 077 984.