Welcome to the DofE in Surrey

Transcription

1 Welcome to the DofE in Surrey Surrey County Council (SCC) as Operating Authority has produced this Guide for the Duke of Edinburgh s Award (DofE), which is centrally managed by the Surrey Youth Support Service (YSS).The aim of the Guide is to help parents, carers, volunteers and young people with information regarding the DofE and how SCC operates it. The Youth Support Service supports the personal and social development of young people and provides opportunities for them to fulfil their potential. It acts as an advocacy service to empower young people by raising their selfesteem and confidence. PART 1 PART 2 Registration of young people (participants) to the DofE. Progress through the DofE Validating and Authorising DofE awards The Role of the Surrey Youth Support Service (Operating Authority) Insurance Registered Centres Safeguarding approval of expedition leaders Surrey currently has 118 registered DofE centres with over 6,000 young people registering with DofE annually. The role of YSS together with parents, carers and leaders is crucial in encouraging young people from a wide variety of backgrounds to seize opportunities open to them and achieve great things. Surrey has 11 voluntary DofE Borough and District Forums, which meet regularly in support of young people participating in the DofE; culminating in arranging presentation evenings to celebrate their achievements. wwwsurreycc.gov.uk/dukeofedinburghsaward Toby Wells - Deputy Head YSS

2 Part 1: Registration of the participant All participants must have reached the minimum age of entry for their chosen level of the DofE: Bronze age14, Silver 15, Gold 16 years. Participants over age 18 and parents/carers of those under the age of 18 having read this booklet may register by completing and signing the YSS DofE Application for Registration form This form is available from your DofE Centre Co-ordinator. How to register participants Parents/Participants complete the YSS DofE Application for Registration Form (a carbonised A4 form comprising 3 colour-coded sheets, white, pink and blue) retaining the blue sheet and giving the white & pink copies to the Centre Coordinator as soon as possible with the appropriate registration fee. The charge for registration levied by SCC is recorded on the Application for Registration Form, which includes a small surcharge. Whilst every participant has to pay for DofE registration, costs of involvement will depend on the participant s choice in each section of the DofE. In addition there will be a charge for the Expedition Section to cover costs of this outdoor activity. The DofE centre coordinator or the DofE centre makes the arrangements and determines charges. Cheque(s) for registration are made payable to the DofE Centre (eg school, youth centre). Supportive information with the process for completion of the application form is given on the reverse side of the blue sheet. The participant should provide their address so that they can receive their edofe sign in details. They will then receive a welcome with information on how to get started. Further information regarding the online process can be found on the website Once the participant has paid their fee and is registered they will receive a DofE Welcome Pack from Surrey the Operating Authority containing a Keeping Track booklet, giving information on the DofE online recording system, edofe and advice on participation and DofE programme choices. Participants can choose to record their progress in the Keeping Track booklet as a paper record until April 2013 or record the information online. Online is a better option as records can be accessed and updated easily as young people progress to the next level.

3 What is the DofE? The Duke of Edinburgh s Award is a voluntary, non competitive programme of activities for everyone aged Participation in their DofE gives young people the opportunity to experience new activities or develop existing skills. There are three progressive levels of programme, which when successfully completed lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. Young people create their own DofE programme by choosing a volunteering, physical and skills activity, undertaking an expedition and additionally for their Gold, taking part in a residential activity. On successful completion of each level of DofE, each participant will be presented with a badge and certificate. The DofE Award - Guiding principles: Non- competitive - a personal challenge and not a competition Achievable by all - regardless of ability, gender, background or location Voluntary - young people commit some of their free time to it Personal development- value to young people is dependant upon personal commitment Personalised - young people design their own programme, setting their own goals Balanced development of the whole person Progressive - each level requires greater time, commitment and responsibility Achievement focused - young people set their own challenging goals for improvement Demands commitment - Persistence and commitment cannot be completed with a short burst of enthusiasm Enjoyable should be fun and rewarding for both young people and Leaders Benefits of participation: Self-belief Self-confidence A sense of identity Independence of thought and action Respect and understanding of people from different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life A sense of responsibility An awareness of their potential New talents and abilities An understanding of strengths and weaknesses The ability to plan and use time effectively The ability to learn from and give to others in the community New relationships Skills including problem solving, presentation and communication The ability to lead and work as part of a team

4 DofE - What does it involve? There are three separate, progressive levels of programme, which lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE Award. The main difference between them are the minimum length of time required to complete them, the degree of challenge and the minimum age at which young people can start to do them. Participants choose an activity they enjoy and want to do for each Section. It is important that when young people are making choices its essential that DofE leaders are on hand to advise them as DofE place activities in specific sections. This can be an entirely new activity or an activity in which they are already involved. Details and duration of participation for each section at each level is set out in the table below: Bronze Award Volunteering Skills Physical Expeditions 3 months 3 months 3 months Plan, prepare for and An additional 3 months must be undertaken in any one of these Sections. Involvement is to be measured in full months with as expectation of an average of at least one hour per week Silver Award Volunteering Skills Physical Expeditions 6 months One Section for 6 months and the other Section for 3 months Direct entrants must undertake an additional 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer (Skills or Physical Recreation) Section Gold Award undertake a 2 day venture, 1 night venture Plan, prepare for and undertake a 3 day venture, 2 night venture Volunteering Skills Physical Expeditions Residential 12 months One Section for 12 months and the other Section for 6 months Direct entrants must undertake an additional 6 months in either the Volunteering or the longer (Skills or Physical Recreation) Section. Plan, prepare for and undertake a 4 day venture, 3 night venture Undertake a shared activity in a residential setting away from home for 5 days and 4 nights

5 A direct entrant to DofE A direct entrant is a participant who has not completed the previous level of DofE. More details about the DofE programme planners to help participants create their programme are available from The Process for a DofE - Programme and Assessment To ensure that young people get the maximum benefit out of their Awards, DofE have devised a process of four key stages that apply to all sections and activities. 1: Preparation participants research what they would like to do 2: Training some choices require further training or qualifications 3: Activity the actual doing bit. 4: Assessment How is participation assessed? Participants choose an activity for the completion of each Section. An Assessor, knowledgeable in the chosen activity, will check the young persons progress and agree completion of the section. Parents/carers for participants under 18 years of age must agree their son/daughter s involvement in the DofE and contact the Centre Co ordinator for clarification or to raise any questions or concerns. The DofE Leader or parent/carer must agree the choice of Assessor. To complete the programme, every activity undertaken must be successfully completed and assessed. The young person meets with the Assessor to discuss and record their experiences and how they have developed and reached their goals as set at the start of the activity. These may include: What challenges were faced and how they were overcome? The perceived benefits of the overall experience and what they enjoyed. Having discussed the activity with the young person this is the ideal time to complete the Assessor report either in the Keeping Track booklet or directly upload to the on-line edofe management system. Assessor's reports: An Assessor's report is completed by the Assessor for a particular section of a participant's programme. It constitutes a review of the activities that the young person has been carrying out and documents their progress towards their goals. Assessor's reports can be submitted in a variety of ways, these include: online via the DofE website ( then follow the instructions. Phone: on (calls charged at local rate).the Assessor will need the unique ID number of the DofE participant. On paper: using the Keeping Track booklet.

6 Completing DofE at Bronze, Silver or Gold Level Bronze and Silver level A participant qualifies for their DofE Award when all the requirements of the Bronze or Silver level have been successfully completed and agreed by the Centre Coordinator in the first instance. SCC Youth Support Service DofE appointed verifiers (DofE Advisers) will confirm that all the relevant conditions have been met based on the information recorded in the Keeping Track booklet or uploaded to the online edofe system. The successful participant will receive a formal invitation from the DofE Centre Coordinator to a local award ceremony to receive their certificate. Gold level At Gold level a participant qualifies for their DofE Award when all the requirements of the Gold Award has successfully been completed and agreed as above. In addition Gold Award participants are required to complete a Gold notification form (GA7) to accompany their Keeping Track booklet or the edofe online approval. This form is available to download from DofE website The completed GA7 and Gold records are submitted to SCC for verification and then passed to DofE Head Office for processing and authorisation. Participants will be advised by letter from SCC YSS of successful completion of their Gold DofE Award. Please note, confirmation of completion can take a maximum of two months at certain times of the year. All Gold DofE Award holders are invited to attend both a Surrey and national DofE presentation of Certificates. Invitations to the local presentation will be sent out by the DofE Centre Coordinator inviting them to receive the Surrey Certificate of Congratulation at the Celebration Event organised by the local DofE Forum. The national presentation is held at St James Palace in London. Invitations and information for this event are sent to the participant directly from DofE. For further information please go to

7 Sectional Certificates- recognising achievements of a young person who may be unable to complete all sections of their programme Recognise and reward achievement. Are available in each section of Bronze, Silver and Gold. Provide tangible recognition and encourage progression. Are often awarded but not exclusively, to young people with additional needs. Contact your SCC YSS DofE Award Adviser for advice and support. DofE Adviser details can be found on the last page of this document or the SCC DofE webpage:wwwsurreycc.gov.uk/dukeofedinburghsaward Once a DofE Award is approved Participants should be encouraged to create their DofE Achievement Pack. Full details will be given on the congratulations sent to them by the Licensed Authority (Surrey County Council) The Achievement Pack for young people Once your Award has been approved by the Licensed Organisation, or DofE Office for Gold, you will be given the option to create your Achievement Pack. By accessing your edofe account you will see a banner sign posted Achievement Pack. When clicked, this opens a new window where will be able to drag and drop in your evidence and capture all your best memories and achievements, to create a personal record and memory book to keep. Once you ve assembled your Achievement Pack online, you ll then be able to print off a free PDF of your book or purchase a hardback or faux leather version. There is a separate guide available on edofe to help you with your planning of the Achievement Pack.

8 Part Two: the role of SCC Youth Support Service (YSS) Surrey County Council is an Operational Licence holder of the DofE. The County Council s Youth Support Service operates DofE. Central management within this Service coordinates the operation of DofE. They are supported by a team of DofE Advisers who manage the operation of The DofE locally in each Borough/District in Surrey. This team also provides support/information, processes, verifies and monitors the quality of delivery to participants completing their DofE award. SCC does not deliver DofE to the majority of young people directly. Instead, it registers other organisations and groups in the County to undertake this task for the young people whom they are currently working with. These organisations and groups are known collectively as DofE centres. A DofE centre is an organisation or group concerned with the education, training and welfare of young people aged years. A DofE centre can be a school, youth centre, university/college, voluntary/uniformed group, special project or business. All DofE centres work under the authorisation of SCC s licence. The Centres have to be registered with SCC through the YSS and work through a Service Level Agreement, which is in force for the signed period of time as stated on the agreement. Each DofE centre has a designated trained DofE Centre Coordinator who manages the participation of young people within the Centre and to whom all enquiries should be made. Each Centre Coordinator holds a current enhanced CRB Authorised operating DofE Centres are required to keep a register of all other adult helpers/support staff involved with the DofE in their centre and to ensure that they hold a current enhanced CRB disclosure. Risk Assessment: Parent/Carer Awareness a) Potential risks in completing the DofE Every effort will be made by all DofE centres and personnel within the YSS to reduce risk of harm to participants to a level that is acceptable for the age, experience and abilities of those involved. It must be fully understood and accepted by participants, parents and carers, however that the nature of the scheme is such that it is neither possible nor desirable to totally eliminate risk from all elements of the DofE Award. DofE Centre Leaders/Coordinators, parents, carers and participants should satisfy themselves that proper procedures are followed, under the guidance of appropriately trained staff, and ensure that participants are also properly trained to assess and manage the remaining risks.

9 b) Completing Sections of the DofE outside a DofE Centre Often young people will complete parts of the DofE (see Programme & Assessment ) outside their DofE centre at another location. If a young person needs to complete a Section of their DofE Award with an individual adult, then it must not take place in a setting that leaves participants vulnerable, and should be agreed by the parent/carer/ centre leader. It is important that these sections are completed with recognised individuals/organisations. c) Nominating a DofE Assessor Young people participating in any Section of DofE at any level must have their involvement monitored by an assessor who has an experience and expertise in the activity chosen by the participant. Details of the nominated assessor should be notified to the DofE centre leader. DofE Centres should arrange to monitor known assessors working with young people completing Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections of the DofE Award (see How is participation assessed? ). If a young person or parent/carer nominates their own Assessor, they should contact their DofE Centre Leader and give written confirmation to the DofE Centre Leader that they are happy for their son/daughter to have access to those adults for the purpose of the DofE activity. The parent/carer should be satisfied that the assessment process is taking place in an appropriate environment. It is important that parents/carers get the opportunity to raise any concerns prior to the assessment process taking place. There are DofE printed guidance notes available for nominated assessors in the DofE Welcome Pack, which the young person receives on registration. Parents/Carers and participants should satisfy themselves that proper procedures are followed under the guidance of appropriately trained staff and ensure that participants are also properly trained to assess and manage the remaining risks. Operational Expedition Guidelines for DofE Centres are available on d) Disclosure through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) The Disclosure process is a national information service provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which is an executive agency of the Home

10 Office. It helps any organisation to make informed recruitment decisions in order to protect vulnerable members of society. Each Centre Leader must ensure that all personnel working with young people on activities co-ordinated by the centre hold a current enhanced disclosure through the CRB. Part 3: Insurance The following information clarifies current and future levels and types of insurance cover for the complete range of registered DofE Centres operating under the SCC Operational Licence. The type of insurance cover for the various groups is described in detail below and became effective in September Group 1: All SCC Local Authority Schools, Colleges, Youth Centres & projects. This also covers Foundation Schools and Academies where they have bought back into SCC Insurance. Public Liability Insurance & Employers Liability Insurance Those listed in Group 1 are covered by SCC Public Liability Insurance for all authorised activities. All SCC (Youth Service) policies, guidelines and procedures must be adhered to. All youth workers, teachers, instructors, assessors and volunteers approved by the Operating Centre or Operational Licence will be covered. Personal Accident Cover All participants in Group 1 with a current DofE welcome pack have personal accident cover under the SCC Insurance scheme. All youth workers, teachers, instructors and volunteers approved by the Operating Centre or Operational Licence will have personal accident cover. Equipment Insurance Cover Most insurers will not cover expedition equipment whilst it is being used in the field; they mostly cover equipment whilst it is locked up in stores, preferably in an alarmed building. You may find that insurance limits apply to equipment when it is locked in a vehicle. Ensure all staff and participants are aware of the extent of your insurance cover and their personal liability in using your equipment. Check that you have full details of insurance cover of any hired equipment. Centre leaders, parents/carers must make every effort to check on insurance cover for equipment and personal effects.

11 Group 2: Includes all Independent schools, Voluntary Youth organisations, Community groups and Commercial organisations, and Academies and Foundation Schools where these have chosen to remain separate from the LA. Public Liability and Employers Liability All Group 2 listed organisations must have their own public liability insurance and where applicable employer s liabilities cover, and produce a copy of the insurance certificate/s for the Operational Licence records. Personal Accident Cover All participants with a current Duke of Edinburgh s Award Keeping Track Record or Welcome Pack will have limited Personal Accident cover from the national DofE. Details of this insurance are outlined on the DofE website All staff undertaking DofE activities will also have entitlement to this insurance through the national DofE. SCC recommends that all Group 2 organisations take out their own Personal Accident Cover for participants and staff. SCC Registered DofE Groups The Head of Establishment for each operating DofE Award Centre is required to complete and sign a Service Level Agreement stating that they will operate DofE in accordance with the SCC Operational Licence requirements, Policies and Guidelines. Surrey Approved Expedition Leaders SCC Operational Licence requires all expedition leaders to fulfil Surrey County Council DofE induction, complete an expedition leader s approval form and be placed on the database for qualified and approved expedition leaders. Any leader who supervises or assesses on expeditions not on the database will not be covered by the Operational Licence or the DofE Scheme Insurance. The Surrey Youth Support Service The Youth Support Service supports the personal and social development of young people and provides opportunities for them to fulfil their potential. It acts as an advocacy service to empower young people by raising their selfesteem and confidence.

12 Youth Support Service DofE Team Contacts (July 2013) Name Position Number Toby Wells Deputy Head YSS (Strategic Manager -DofE) Paul Bowen County DofE Operations Manager Allison Griffiths DofE Senior Operations Officer (YSS & Additional Needs) Frances Trench DofE Operations Officer (Schools & Voluntary Organisations) Maureen Bowden Emma Herbert Senior Administration Officer Service Support Assistant Clive Parker- Sharp Sarah Williamson Rowena Ferneley DofE Adviser (Reigate & Banstead, & Tandridge) DofE Adviser (Guildford & Waverley) DofE Adviser (Runnymede & Woking) Sheila Smith DofE Adviser (Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Elmbridge, Spelthorne, & Surrey Heath)