Expedition Information
Very similar to other Scout Expeditions, but beware the notification is different and the final expedition has to be Assessed by an external Accredited Assessor.
Please see the attached documents for detail.
Devon Scouts & Guides
Expedition Notification & Assessment Procedure (as at April 2012)
NOTIFICATION
A Green Form (or Girlguiding version) should be submitted to County Adviser for all DofE expeditions, practice and assessment. Receipt will be confirmed by the issue of a notification number. A copy of the same form must also be given to the Bronze/Silver Assessor, or submitted to The Gold Assessor or DofE Network Assessor for Ventures in Wild Country. This means that Leaders only use one form for UK Expeditions and only the timing will be different for Wild Country Ventures. For our purposes, it will be a notice of intent and detail not cast in stone.
If your expedition team is intending to travel unaccompanied through Wild Country an expedition notification form must be completed and forwarded at least 6 weeks in advance to the relevant DofE Expedition Coordinator if you require an assessor, and at least 4 weeks in advance if it is a practice expedition or you are taking your own assessor. ( Most Wild Country numbers for Assessed Expeditions are only released on successful completion of the Venture.)
Expeditions Outside the UK If you are travelling outside the UK on your expedition the same conditions apply equally to expeditions taking place in the UK. In addition participants must complete at least one practice expedition in the UK before departure. Notice must be given to the Operating Authority at least 12 weeks in advance using the standard BLUE Notification forms for Expeditions Abroad. 6 months notification is a good idea.
If you are undertaking an expedition outside of the UK with an Approved Activity Provider (AAP), your Blue Form should now go to your DofE Manager who will then send it on to the AAP team at the DofE Head Office in Windsor rather than to the DofE Regional/Country office.
( We use the standard Award (or Girlguiding) Green Form for all notifications rather than designing a new form. )
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ASSESSMENT
At a very early date, you should select an Independent Assessor from our list of Accredited Expedition Assessors and check their availabilty. For expeditions in DofE designated Wild Country Areas, a Gold Assessor must be used or you can request an Assessor from the Expedition Network who will be familiar with the area.
The Assessor will then require a copy of the Green Form, route trace and route cards about 6 weeks before the expedition. With agreement, the route cards may be delayed until the trace has been checked.
If the Expedition is to take place outside the County, the Assessor may travel to the area, or it may be possible to locate a suitably qualified Assessor in that area. Confirm this with the County Adviser.
An Assessor should not supervise the same group, they have VERY DIFFERENT duties.
An Assessor must not have been involved in training the Team.
The Group is responsible for payment of the Assessors travelling expenses, or DofE Network Assessment fee. The exceptions to this are Open Expeditions listed on the DofE Website or in the DofE Magazine etc, when the Assessment is usually included in the course fee. Other exceptions are shown below.
If the expedition is to take place in Wild Country, Exmoor / Quantock, The Forest of Dean or the New Forest, the appropriate Network will often be requested to provide an Assessor who would be familiar with the area and will advise with route problems. The Group will be charged an Assessment fee. Bronze expeditions are not advised in the Wild Areas as Gold Level Training is required, and the Dartmoor Network will not Assess them. They are OK in many parts of Exmoor and Quantock etc . (Obviously we would have to use our own Assessors for Bronze Expeditions in the lower areas of the Dartmoor National Park designated 5 & 6 on the Network Map.)
All Assessors MUST be Accredited under the DofE Assessor Accreditation Scheme and put their number on the young persons report etc..
Prior to attending any Assessment Expedition the Unit Leader or trainer must ensure that all the appropriate training pages are fully completed and signed in the Record Books or Keeping Track booklets. The young person MUST take their Record Book/ Keeping Track booklet to the pre-meeting (kit check) for inspection by the Assessor prior to the commencement of the Expedition.
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OTHER UK AWARD EXPEDITIONS
If individual UK Award Expedition places are bought in from an Approved Commercial Company or other Operating Authority they will not carry our registration number, but that of the Organisation concerned. Whole Teams will be considered on an individual basis, as this should be very unusual.
The Green Form should be submitted giving the normal details of our young people participating in the expedition. It should also be adapted to give the nature and area of the expedition, as route details may not be known in detail.
Our Unit Leader is responsible for checking the qualifications of the Team Supervisor to ensure they comply with our Association rules and checks. (As they should for any other activity)
Our Operating Authority has The DofE responsibility (including CRB) to approve Assessors. Hence to ensure that the expedition is approved when the Award is checked, details of the Assessor and their Accreditation Number should be disclosed for consideration when submitting the Green Form if they are not members of a DofE Expedition Network.
When young people attend a course or Expedition run by an Award Wild Country Network or an Award Regional Office this activity will be carried out under The Award's AALA licence and all we need to record is the details of the Course and the details of those attending.
EXPEDITION ENVIRONMENTS
Please see page 67 of the 6th Edition DofE Handbook
TEN TORS
The rule is Ten Tors training on Dartmoor can count towards a practice expedition for D.of E. at Bronze/Silver level, but not at Gold. The venture must meet all the usual D.of E. requirements for a practice expedition in Wild Country (Dartmoor). Please note that it cannot count as a final qualifying venture.
David Hood
01392-270896 or e-mail:- davidchood@blueyonder.co.uk
20/3/2011
Girlguiding DofE Green Form Aug 2011
EXPEDITION VARIATIONS - 08
20 Conditions - variations guidelines
Variations letter to DofE Managers
EXPEDITION ASSESSORS
Devon Scouts and Guides maintain a list of our approved Accredited Expedition Assessors and although details cannot be published, full details can be obtained directly from the County DofE Award Adviser.
