Finding the right residential for you

Residential Approved Activity Providers are organisations that have been licensed by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to provide residential opportunities to participants.

When booking with a Residential Approved Activity Provider, you and your DofE Leader can be satisfied that their proposed programme of activities will meet and adhere to the DofE’s Residential Requirements.

Organisations that aren’t Approved Activity Providers can still offer valuable and enriching experiences, but it’s the responsibility of yourself and your Leader to make sure that their proposed programme of activities meets the Residential Requirements.

When considering a residential with an organisation which isn’t an Approved Activity Provider, thorough research and communication with the provider are key. This may involve reviewing the itinerary, the group composition, the accommodation, the Assessor options and the timings.

By taking these steps, you can confidently choose a residential that will be both rewarding and meet the DofE’s Residential Requirements.

The DofE Opportunity Finder is a really helpful tool that helps you search for residential opportunities provided by Approved Activity Providers. You can filter options based on your interests, location, and dates available.

If you enter your preferences, you’ll be able to browse through the list of available residentials. We regularly update the Opportunity Finder with new opportunities, so it’s worth checking back to see if any new residentials have been added since you last looked.

Participants and parents/carers booking on to activities delivered by Approved Activity Providers are responsible for evaluating its policies, procedures and suitability.

The licence the DofE issues to an Approved Activity Provider doesn’t guarantee its suitability in terms of health and safety or financial stability.

The Department for Education provides guidance on the safeguarding arrangements you should expect from your provider. You should feel able to ask questions about its activities and policies. A well-run and trustworthy provider will welcome questions and should be willing to give this kind of information to anyone who is going to be in their care.

Any club or organisation working with young people has a responsibility to keep them safe. As a minimum, providers should have policies on:

• Safeguarding and child protection
• The suitability of all staff and volunteers
• Health and safety.

Organisations are expected to make reasonable adjustments to make sure any participants with disabilities or physical or mental health conditions aren’t substantially disadvantaged when doing their residential. It’s important that all parties communicate in the early stages of the planning process to understand individual needs and to help the provider facilitate any adjustments.

Whilst it’s typical for your residential to last five days and four nights, you can choose to split it into two separate blocks, where each period should involve at least two nights, within a 12-month period. If you choose to split your residential then there should be a theme and shared activity that is consistent across both blocks. An Assessor should be able to support you through the whole section and help you get the most from the activities you undertake.

If possible, the other staff and participants, including the Assessor, should remain the same. However, provided the theme and activities remain consistent, it would be acceptable for the participants, staff, and Assessor to be different if it’s not possible to bring the same people together again for the second part of the residential. In this case, two separate Assessor’s Reports should be uploaded.

One of the most exciting aspects of your residential is the opportunity to meet and get to know new people. Ideally, you’ll join your residential as an individual, but providers will be able to accept participants who know each other, provided they plan a residential that meets the outcomes of the section.

A key part of the Residential section is socialising in a group where the majority of participants don’t know each other. Because of this, it’s likely that your provider will split you up from those you know so you can mix and make new friends.

There are certain activities and settings that wouldn’t count as suitable for a residential. The key things to remember are:

Staying with your friends or family, even if this is away from home, doesn’t count as your residential setting must be unfamiliar and you should be staying in shared accommodation with your group.

• Holidays or trips that do not involve a shared, purposeful activity with a group are also ineligible.
• Completing your residential at a familiar location, such as where you completed previous activities for your DofE, isn’t permitted.
• Activities that are part of the national curriculum, your practice or qualifying expeditions, or those being used for other sections of your DofE programme can’t be counted.
• You must be part of a group of at least five. If you’re completing your residential with an Approved Activity Provider, they will recruit other participants but if you’re sourcing your own residential then you will need to check the group size.
• It’s fine if the residential provider covers your expenses – however, payment would not be acceptable.

• Being a leader at a UK-based holiday camp for disadvantaged young people
• Doing a voluntary teaching placement overseas
• Being part of a service crew at a large summer camp for Brownies
• Volunteering on a YHA residential summer camp
• Volunteering at a residential summer school
• Helping to support an eco-friendly waste project at an outdoor education centre
• Helping out on a pilgrimage.

• Joining a tree planting project with your local environment trust
• Attending a conference on climate change as a youth representative
• Helping the preservation team of a railway or canal
• Studying coral bleaching
• Joining a National Trust working holiday to join different conservation projects across the UK
• Taking part in a Field Studies course learning about biodiversity and conservation.

• Doing a cookery course
• Doing a photography course and exhibiting your work
• Taking part in a bushcraft residential
• Spending time on a narrowboat and training towards becoming a skipper
• Learning to write and produce music and putting on a show
• Taking part in an astronomy course, learning about constellations, black holes, and solar systems
• Taking part in a week-long Gaelic or Welsh language and culture course.

• Taking part in a sport-based residential, developing your basketball skills
• Taking part in multi-faith residential, studying different religions
• Joining an Army Cadet Force activity week with members of different detachments you don’t know
• Learning to snowboard on an intensive course in Scotland
• Joining a historical re-enactment society.