DofE - Parent/ Guardians Information

We are delighted that your child is interested in participating in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award here in Moray.

Moray Council is responsible for operating the Award and we want to ensure your son/daughter gets a thoroughly enjoyable and quality experience

To this end, all Council staff working on the Award are vetted to ensure that they are suitably qualified and competent.  When activities are organised by the Council, we will always ensure that the individuals or organisations involved are also vetted and meet necessary standards.  All Council staff, volunteers and the young people taking part in activities organised by the Council are covered by personal accident and third party insurance.

As a parent you may wish your son/daughter to take part in the Award by arrangement with other agencies such as voluntary organisations, commercial organisations or local groups eg a badminton club or guitar tutor.  Any such arrangements are not covered by the Council's insurance and the Council does not vet these bodies, their staff or volunteers, or the standards of work that they provide.

If you do make such arrangements with a provider other than the Council, you are strongly advised to:-

(a) arrange private insurance cover for your son/daughter and/or
(b) seek written assurances from the provider with regard to safety standards, the qualifications and competencies of instructors, and the insurance cover in the event of a young person suffering an accident or loss during those activities. 

Important information about The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expeditions for participants and parents/carers

The expedition element of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is one of the most important and exciting elements of the participants' experience. We are very fortunate to live close to a great variety of fantastic landscapes which offer wonderful opportunities for walking, cycling and canoeing.

The expeditions have always been organised through the Moray Council with coordination at a school level by the award group leader.

Each expedition group will be allocated a supervisor who will work closely with the groups and who will walk with the group during their practice expedition. This supervisor will also accompany their groups during the qualifying venture although they will allow the groups to walk/ cycle alone in order that each group can be seen to navigate, work as a group and resolve any problems by themselves. On the qualifying venture each group will also be allocated an assessor who will meet the group at various points along their route, and at the campsite, in order to assess their skills and team work in order to decide if they have successfully completed their expedition element.

The supervisors are qualified in outdoor activities, and are trained first-aiders. They are also approved by Moray Council and have been through the disclosure process. They also undertake to give up their time and expertise on a voluntary basis and receive no payment for their work.

We expect all participants to behave in a mature and responsible manner during the expeditions and to show the utmost respect for their supervisors and assessors. This will naturally also involve showing their appreciation of the time and help that their supervisors and assessors have given them.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award also relies on the support of parents/carers in impressing on their children how they should behave. In addition, if there are any problems or emergencies relating to your child during the expedition then parents/ carers are expected to be available and to be able to come out to collect their child, as the supervisors and assessors will need to remain with the rest of the group.

Thank you for your support and help and good luck to the participant(s) on their DofE experience.