DofE Manager's Toolkit
To support you as a DofE Manager we’ve made the DofE Manager’s toolkit.
You need to complete the DofE Manager pathway to start your journey. This pathway is part of our learning for adult volunteers and prepares you for organising, planning and delivering DofE programmes within a Licensed Organisation (LO) or DofE Centre.
Find out more about our learning pathways
The DofE Manager’s Toolkit lays out:
- what’s expected of delivery teams,
- the key responsibilities involved in managing a safe and rewarding experience for young people.
Delivering DofE is flexible and your Operations Officer can advise on different ways you can deliver the programme. For example, you can build a delivery team by combining both volunteers and employees. This allows you to draw on the skills and experiences of a wide group. To learn more, take a look at the different DofE volunteer roles or volunteer role descriptions.
DofE Leaders – especially new staff members – need an introduction to their role. This must include:
- Foundations learning pathway
- Delivering the DofE learning pathway
- An introduction to your LO that explains policies and procedures specific to delivering DofE.
Training Leaders in your team will be discussed as part of your Action Plan and Annual Review.
Recruiting Leaders and helpers
The best way to run DofE programmes is to get a team together. There are some mandatory roles attached to the licence agreement that need to be filled. You will identify these during the licensing process. With a team in place, you can spread the workload and maintain continuity if staff move on.
Your organisation’s safeguarding policies and procedures must include checking that DofE Coordinators, Leaders and adult helpers are suitable as part of a safer recruitment process, which includes, as a minimum, a criminal records check.
Inducting, training and development
Every DofE adult volunteer that delivers or supports programmes must complete e-learning. Find out what the requirements for each role are on learning for adult volunteers.
Along with e-learning, it’s important to induct new Leaders and helpers properly. This gives them a full understanding of how their role fits into the DofE and your organisation, and how they can support young people to achieve their DofE Award.
Supporting, mentoring, and succession planning
The role of a DofE Leader can be complex, so once you’ve got someone in post, you’ll want to keep them! Think of ways to keep improving their professional development and thank them for their work. Making staff feel supported and appreciated is a great way of retaining them.
eDofE is our digital platform that supports participants, Leaders and LOs to record, manage and verify DofE activities and progress. It’s central to how the DofE operates! You can get guidance and technical support from our Help Centre.
Participation places
Young people wanting to start their DofE must buy a Welcome Pack from their LO. You or a member of your team will order Welcome Packs from DofE Essentials, accessed through eDofE. How and when LOs choose to buy Welcome Packs varies. Some order one year’s stock at a time or before the new school year, while others order them on demand. When buying a Welcome Pack, a participation place is added to the LO’s eDofE account. A Leader in a LO can then give that place to a new participant.
Find out more about our Welcome Packs
Support for Licensed Organisations
Your LO is responsible for your induction, ongoing support, and recognition. You can access non-DofE-specific training opportunities through your LO, like safeguarding, child protection, technical skills, and equity, diversity, and inclusion training.
Take a look at our further resources to support you in your role.
- eDofE is our online programme management system. All LOs must use eDofE. It will help you track the progress of participants in your LO and communicate to keep them on track with their DofE programme. eDofE offers news, resources, and programme-related information. You’ll get regular emails with important updates.
- The eDofE Help Centre has user guides, help articles, and step-by-step guides for enrolling participants and managing participation places.
- eDofE Skillbuilder is a bootcamp for Leaders and Managers, this can be accessed through the Learning Platform.
- Operations Officers can offer advice to DofE Managers.
Activities and approving them
Developing initiative is a key part of a DofE participant’s involvement. At the start, participants take responsibility for picking their own programme. Leaders should provide support and advice, especially when they’re planning their programme and setting objectives. Leaders should help them consider:
- costs
- venue
- travel requirements
- the availability of a suitable Assessor and/or supervisor.
Participants choose the activities they want to do for each section of their DofE programme. They can use the Opportunity Finder to search for available opportunities for their sections. When they’ve chosen what activity to do, encourage them to use the programme planner for that section. This will help them plan their programme in more detail.
LOs are expected to celebrate the achievement of young people. Many organise DofE presentations, while others use Celebration of Achievement events. The timing for these varies to fit in with local circumstances or initiatives. These ceremonies are an ideal opportunity to recognise young people’s achievements, thank staff and volunteers and involve the local community, like parents, friends, Council members and key influencers. It’s your responsibility to manage and distribute certificates.
At Bronze and Silver level, you can present both the badge and certificate locally. Gold Award holders get a certificate through the post and can choose either a badge or a brooch. They’ll then be invited to a Gold Award celebration event at one of the Royal Palaces in the presence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The date of their celebration event may be some time after their Award is confirmed, but they’ll get an invitation as soon as possible.
Find all you need to know about managing the Expedition section in your LO.
Learning
Our online learning platform has modules to support with the Expedition section. Find out more about learning for adult volunteers.
Expedition Guide
The Expedition Guide sets out everything you need for a safe, rewarding and high‑quality experience. Take a look at the Expedition Guide.
Expedition responsibility
To understand which roles are involved in delivering Expeditions safely, take a look at the Expedition responsibility matrix.
You’re responsible for making sure that every young person doing their DofE has a high-quality, personalised experience, supported by trusted and trained adults.
Make sure you read our essential policy guidance covering health and safety, safeguarding, emergency processes, equal opportunities and staff approvals.
Always report safeguarding concerns via the Reporting a Safeguarding Concern form. Your LO will have safeguarding and child protection policies that you must follow.
Shouting about the incredible work you do and promoting the DofE in your LO allows more young people to sign up and develop their skills, resilience and self-belief.
Here are our resources for using the Brand Centre and sharing success stories.
The Brand Centre
The DofE Brand Centre is a free resource helping you to promote your DofE programme in your area. You can customise eye-catching and co-branded DofE leaflets, posters, banners and more. It offers flexibility and the opportunity for you to tailor resources to your needs. LOs can also download the DofE logo and create a custom logo from the Brand Centre.
Your stories
The most powerful way to inspire young people to take part in a DofE programme is by sharing stories from our participants and Leaders. It’s also a great way of showing others why they should support us.
We want to hear about any participant, group or Leader who has overcome a challenge, achieved something or learnt and progressed something new as a result of their DofE programme. If you have a success or good news story, please contact your Operations Officer.
