EXPEDITION. Variations to the 20 conditions of the Expedition section for participants with additional needs. DofE qualifying expedition conditions

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Hilary Ryan
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1 EXPEDITION Variations to the 20 conditions of the Expedition section for participants with additional needs DofE qualifying conditions from the Handbook for DofE and at Gold by the Regional/Country Office. 1 by the participants own physical effort, without motorised or outside assistance. Motorised mobility aids such as wheelchairs may be used where appropriate to the needs of the participant Variations to the conditions for the expedition requirements may be granted based on the needs of the individual participant, but not because of the difficulties of the terrain During training and practice expeditions, the DofE Leader will assess the ability and fitness of all participants and help them find a route and pace that is right for them. Participants who are unable to walk for sustained periods of time may choose to use for example a canoe, pedal bike, boat or wheelchair for their expedition depending on their physical abilities. Participants have, for example, successfully completed their expedition by walking, pushing their wheelchair and then sitting in it and being aided by a team mate when they need to rest is permissible and will need to be risk assessed. 2 unaccompanied and selfsufficient. a) The team must be unaccompanied, unguided and supervision must be carried out remotely. b) As part of effective remote supervision, teams may be more closely supervised for parts of the expedition where specific hazardous areas are unavoidable. This supervision should be kept to an absolute minimum. c) If a team does not possess the necessary physical, first aid and expedition skills required for an area, then they should not be in that area. Increased adult supervision when needed is permissible, for example a buddy with the group at all times or shadowing the group from distance. There are a range of resources available on DofE.org to support leaders and participants in planning their expedition: e.g. photo maps and route cards. For further information ask your Operations Officer. Team members may take on the route planning. Social stories, videos and photos can be used to support practice walks e.g. taking photos along the route during a training walk and then using as a guide to follow a route. Learning the area of the route by using similar routes over the course of several weeks or even months of expedition training. 3 supervised by an adult who is able to accept responsibility for the safety of the team.

2 4 The expedition must have an aim. 5 All participants must be properly equipped. Participants with additional needs that limits their ability to carry a heavy load may have their equipment pre-positioned. But they must still carry their personal emergency equipment There is no need to fill in form but will need to confirm with their DofE Manager and DofE Assessor in advance. 6 Participants must have completed the required training and practice expeditions. The qualifying expedition must not be over the same route or in the immediate vicinity of routes used in practice expeditions. 7 At least one practice expedition must be undertaken at each level of the programme, in the same mode of travel in a similar environment to the qualifying expedition. For overseas assessed expeditions, at least one UK practice must have taken place in an appropriate environment. Some participants will need to undertake their practice and qualifying journeys in the same area to allow them to gain familiarity with the location and to feel more comfortable. If the same area is to be used this must be discussed with the DofE manager and DofE Assessor in advance 8 The team must plan and organise the expedition. Multiple teams should not travel in convoy but have individual routes from campsite to campsite. Where this is absolutely unavoidable at least 30 minutes must separate each team using the same route and they must operate as discrete teams. For participants with additional needs they may need prompts or support from staff or a buddy to plan and organise the expedition. 9 Assessment must be by an approved accredited Assessor. The Assessor must be notified if the team includes participants who have additional needs and must be aware of any approved variations before the expedition takes place. 10 There must be between four and seven in a team (eight for modes of travel which have tandem). Unless in the event of an emergency, the team must always keep together.

3 11 All participants must be within the qualifying age of the programme level. This is regardless of whether they are under assessment or not. Age guidelines are set out in the Handbook for DofE 12 Participants must be at the same level of assessment. Participants must have a similar ability or level of experience and must make a full contribution to the team. 13 The team must not include those who have completed the same or higher level expedition Participants must have a similar ability or level of experience and must make a full contribution to the team. 14 Accommodation should be by camping. Further guidance can be found in The Handbook for DofE Leaders (seventh edition), page 72. It is possible for DofE participants with additional needs who need help with personal care including using hoist-assisted toilets, and support with all daily routines to successfully complete their Expedition. For participants with additional needs alternative basic types of accommodation can be considered. Examples include camping in school or church hall, use of a field centre etc. Participants going on expedition who require personal care such as washing, bathing, toileting, dressing or undressing will need to have arrangements in place for their care. DofE centres should consider arrangements well in advance to release staff to assist with these tasks when needed, especially during overnight stays. Safe sleeping arrangements for certain medical conditions, suitable beds, and suitable toilets may present particular challenges. Although there is no need to fill in form, please confirm with the team s LO and Assessor in advance. 15 The expedition must be of the correct duration. a) The expedition must be of the minimum number of days and nights and must include appropriate acclimatisation/final preparation time. b) An acclimatisation day during an expedition due to extreme altitude may be included as long as the minimum hours of activity and journeying are still completed. c) An additional acclimatisation/rest day may be included during an expedition but this will not count toward the expedition days. 16 The expedition should normally take place between the end of March and the end of October. The expedition must take place at an appropriate time of year for the expedition location and aim and the enjoyment of the participants. No need to fill in form, please confirm with the team s DofE Manager and DofE Assessor in advance.

4 17 The expedition should take place in the recommended environment. The expedition should take place in an appropriate and challenging environment. At Silver and Gold levels, this must be unfamiliar to the participants. Overseas expeditions should take place in an area appropriate to the level of the expedition. (Appropriate environments for programme levels are set out in the Handbook. For Bronze and Silver - Although there is no need to fill in form, please confirm with the team s DofE Manager and DofE Assessor in advance. 18 The expedition must meet the minimum hours of planned activity. a) Six hours at Bronze, seven hours at Silver and eight hours at Gold. At least half of these daily hours must be spent travelling. b) Time associated with overnight accommodation and catering is additional to the minimum daytime hours of planned activity. c) Reasonable time for lunch & other appropriate breaks can be included within the hours of planned activity. Participants must engage in six hours of planned activity at Bronze, seven hours at Sliver and eight hours at Gold, at least half of that time should be spent journeying but this does include rest breaks and could form an exploration of an area rather than a traditional hike. 19 A substantial meal should be cooked and eaten by the participants each day. This is optional on the final day. All participants will be encouraged to take part in meal preparation to the best of their ability. However, we acknowledge some participants may require specialised feeding regimes. Participants with additional needs may need longer to build these skills and will be assessed by their Leader for competency. Team members or adults may be able to assist a young person with additional needs to take part where it has been assessed support is required. It is permissible to use an appropriate camp stove which is more stable and adapted to users with additional needs. Participants with additional needs will have competent adult supervision at all times when cooking using camp stoves or similar equipment. For Bronze and Silver The variation form should be sent to the team s DofE manager in advance. 20 A presentation must be prepared and delivered after the expedition. The presentation or report, which may be in any format the participants or teams choose, must be related to the expedition aim.

5 NOTES All conditions must be read in conjunction with the Expedition section of The Handbook for DofE All qualifying expeditions must fulfil the conditions of DofE programmes. Further information on the Expedition section conditions can be found in The Handbook for DofE Where approval has been sought for an assessed expedition, all team members must meet the conditions of the Expedition section. Where participants have individual needs that mean one or more of the above conditions cannot be met, then they may apply for a variation to these conditions to enable them to participate in DofE programmes. Variation application forms can be found on the DofE website and should be sent to the appropriate Licensed Organisation DofE Manager (for Bronze and Silver), DofE Regional/Country Office (for Gold). A copy of applications sent to DofE Offices must also go to the participant s Licensed Organisation. Approved variations should then be attached to the appropriate expedition notification form when submitted by the expedition team. More detailed information and timescales can be found in The Handbook for DofE Leaders or online at DofE.org/expedition. In exceptional circumstances, like extreme weather conditions, rock slides or political instability, a request for a variation may be made in advance through the usual process. Alternatively, should a change need to be made during an expedition, it is the Supervisor s responsibility to liaise with the DofE Assessor to ensure that the expedition will still meet the conditions of DofE programmes. The Duke of Edinburgh s Award is a Registered Charity no and a Royal Charter Corporation no. RC Registered Office: Gulliver House, Madeira Walk, WINDSOR, Berkshire SL4 1EU 05/03/2018 DofE.org info@dofe.org

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