DofE - Expedition Supervisors and Assessors

This is a resource page for Expedition Supervisors and Assessors to locate specific forms and resources to help you in supporting young people through the expedition section of their award.

1. DofE Moray Operational Manual (a good practise document for DofE Moray (PDF) (1.52 MB).
2. Base contact check list and 'Moray Council Emergency Response card(v2).
3. Route Maps ( a selection of previous routes used).
4. 2016 DofE Moray Council 'expedition notification form' (DOE) (MS WORD) (173 KB).
5. Understanding the notification process (PDF) (49KB).
6. 2016 guidance pack on 'notification of adventurous activities'.(MS WORD) (185KB)
7. Green Wild Country Notification form (for all final and/or unaccompanied practises and all qualifying expeditions in Wild Country  (MS Word) (430 KB).
8. Link to The Moray Councils generic risk assessments.
9. New (2016) Parental medical consent form(53 KB).
10. Template info letter to parents (change as needed) (MS Word) (272 KB).
11. Route Card for participants (PDF) (58 KB).
12. Expedition Kit list for participants (PDF) (170 KB).
13. Tasks of the Expedition Supervisor (PDF) (24 KB).
14. 20 Conditions of an expedition (PDF) (84 KB).
15. Expedition check-list (PDF) (50KB).
16. Incident reporting form (MS Word) (232 KB).
17. DofE Expedition equipment store (Lossiemouth Community Centre).
18. Expedition Variations Process Map (PDF)  (132 KB).
19. Variations Application Form (MS word) (436 KB).

We suggest you check out the main DofE website for all the leaders resources(Click here

Click here! for more expedition training resources that have been created by DofE volunteers in Moray.

The notification process checklist (To assist with organising the expedition)

• help with organising your expeditions : Expedition Supervisors checklist.
• supervisors 'supervision plan' that can help you organise remote and direct supervision checklist (MS word)
•  Base contact check list and 'Moray Council Emergency Response card(v2)

Process

1. Group agrees with supervisor the route choice, times, aim of the expedition (required for their qualifier) etc.
2. The group (assisted by the supervisor for the practise and on their own for the qualifier) complete the route card and activity plan.
   (Remember    Bronze =6hrs of planned activity with minimum of 50% journeying (3hrs)  the rest can be exploration linked to their aim of the expedition)  Silver = 7hrs of planned activity with minimum of 50% journeying(3.5hrs)  Gold = 8hrs of planned activity with minimum of 50% journeying(4hrs ) 
   Note/ This depends on the abilities and interests of the group. Some groups would prefer an exciting hike covering 5 hours of walking, however other groups may prefer less journeying with more exploration linked to their aim. If there is less journeying, the group must prove to their supervisor and assessor how they will suitably link exploration to their aim. (Catering and overnight camping is in addition to minimum daytime hours of planned activity)
3. Supervisors and Group leader complete the Expedition Notification form (MS Word) , get this approved by the Head of Establishment (Head Teacher for example), and send this off to Adventure Scotland : Email notification form and highlighted route (start/camp/finish highlighted) for both days to :daveh@adventure-scotland.com. Please note it is good practise to have 2 adults with a group on their practise and qualifier expeditions. The assessor can be the second person on the qualifier, and appropriate adult ratios should be in place relevant to the needs of the individual/group participants.
4. Green Wild Country forms (MS Word) must be completed for all final practise and qualifier expeditions in wild country areas.  Email or post the completed green form to the appropriate wild country panel (see http://www.dofe.info/en/content/cms/leaders/expedition-areas/ for details.
   For example final practise and qualifier expeditions in Glenlivet or Cairngorms National Park come under Sheila Robertson. You can Email the green form along with the highlighted route maps to cairngormpanel@hotmail.com . You will then be issued with a notification number for this expedition and you are responsible for contacting the appropriate landowner for access/camping permission.
   For example,  in Glenlivet the Glenlivet Rangers need to be contacted (Vicky.Hilton@thecrownestate.co.uk) to confirm camping / routes. Please contact the DofE Award officer if you need more info.
   You will receive notification that the forms have been accepted by Adventure Scotland, who are the Technical Advisors to The Moray Council. They do not approve the notification, only confirm this is a suitable expedition based on the information provided (route, ratio. qualifications etc). The ultimate responsibility for approving the expedition lies with The Head of Establishment.
5. Supervisors /Group leaders must ensure all participants receive a parental consent/medical form (MS Word), and that this is returned to the Supervisor who will hold this information during the expeditions. This should form part of an info pack to participants and parents/guardians which explains the time/dates/route/start and finish location and times, as well as additional information such as kit list, or where to find this information (such as this website - "participants resource" section or the main DofE website www.dofe.org).  This information ensures that there is "informed consent "by parents/guardians for the expeditions.
   Please note - Kit checks must also be carried out to ensure participants have all the relevant equipment prior to their expedition.
6. If approval has been given by Head of Establishment/ Green forms and Notification forms are completed and you have received appropriate confirmation (ie from Adventure Scotland and a reference number from Expedition panel (if relevant), Info packs and consent forms have been given to  participants and returned, kit checks have been carried out, then it is time to have fun and enjoy the expeditions.
   Participants, as part of their Kit should also have expedition safety cards (PDF) which contain the contact details of their supervisor and assessor as well as emergency procedures.
7. Base Contact: As part of the Notification process , you must have a nominated base contact. This person will have all the relevant information regarding the expedition including route/times/ grid references and emergency contact details of the participants. Prior to the expedition, the supervisor will confirm with the base contact:

• Base contact : Agree when you will contact the base contact to confirm all is well, or raise any issues. If possible confirm they have arrived at camp and are settled and confirm at the end of the expedition that everyone is 'off the hill' and have been picked up/dropped off (ie the expedition is safely over).Please use the check list and response card in 'Number 2 of the resource list' above.

Thank you for supporting the young people in their expeditions, we appreciate that there is an amount of preparation and paperwork involved and this is in place to ensure all expeditions are carried out in accordance with our policies, to ensure the safety of both participants and adults and to allow everyone to have an enjoyable and exciting experience.

Resources : http://www.dofe.org/go/downloads/

You can contact the Award officer on 01343 813 614 or Email: gavin.morgan@moray.gov.uk  if you have any queries. Thank you.