Review of Voluntary Sector Organisations
(Community Learning and Development)
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scotland
1 September 2009
Contents
Page
1. Introduction
1
2. Context and background
1
3. Key strengths and good practice
2
4. How well did Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scotland meet the
needs of its stakeholders?
5. How effective was Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scotland in key
aspects of management?
6. How effective was the leadership of Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Scotland?
7. What is Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scotland’s capacity to
improve?
2
5
6
6
8. Main points for action
7
9. What happens next?
7
Appendix 1: Quality indicators used to evaluate The Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award Scotland
8
1.
Introduction
In January 2009, the Scottish Government (SG) commissioned HM Inspectorate of
Education (HMIE) to undertake a review of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE)
Scotland. HMIE and SG agreed the quality and performance indicators to be used in
the review from the framework of indicators within the HMIE publication How Good Is
Our Community Learning and Development? 2 (HGIOCLD?2).
The fieldwork for the review took place in mid June 2009.
HM inspectors visited and interviewed stakeholders in the work of DofE Scotland in
Edinburgh, Hamilton, Alloa, Alva, Callander, and Perth. They interviewed
headquarters staff and members of the Scottish Advisory Committee. They analysed
questionnaire responses from four external stakeholders. Inspectors based their
work on a detailed self-evaluation provided by DofE Scotland.
2.
Context and background
The DofE is a charity that works closely with a network of 63 Operating
Authorities (OAs) in Scotland that support an estimated 25,000 young people through
a personal development programme. The OAs are broadly categorised as local
authorities, national voluntary youth organisations and independent schools. In
addition, a few DofE groups operate within employer apprenticeship schemes and in
young offender institutions.
In Scotland there are an estimated 25,000 participants at any one time. There were
11,700 new entrants to the programme in 2007-2008. Around 7,000 full awards were
completed in the same year. There are almost 1,000 DofE groups supported by an
estimated 5,000 volunteer adults.
Established in 1956, the DofE has provided over six million young people in the UK
with the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their communities through
an award-based programme. The programme engages young people in four themed
sections; physical, volunteering, expedition and skills. Young people can undertake
three levels of the award: Bronze, Silver and Gold with each level requiring greater
effort and commitment. The DofE award is widely recognised by employers in their
recruitment activities as a significant achievement by young job applicants.
DofE Scotland has six full-time staff, one part-time and two externally funded
development officers. The DofE Scotland Office is supported by a UK Head Office
which provides the core functions of finance, HR, marketing and training. All of the
current staff joined the organisation within the last 18 months, with the exception of
the Director who has been employed by the DofE for five years but took up the post
of Director within the last year.
The DofE in Scotland is supported by a Scottish Advisory Committee which
comprises key individuals from various sectors in Scotland including youth work,
education, outdoor education, business, arts and sports and a young DofE
participant.
1
3.
Key strengths and good practice
•
Contribution to the development in young people of their capacities as
successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible
citizens.
•
Contribution to ensuring that young people are safe, healthy, achieving, active,
respected and responsible and included.
•
Effective recruitment, retention and training of a large number of adult
volunteers.
•
Young people recognise the important qualities they develop through
involvement in the DofE.
•
The applicability of the award framework in a wide range of settings and young
people with different needs and circumstances.
•
Completion rates in some of the work with young people with additional support
needs.
Good Practice
•
The effectiveness of Friends of the Award Edinburgh, a charity supporting the
City of Edinburgh Council to deliver the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE), in attracting
resources to work with a range of young people with additional support needs,
including mental health needs.
•
The development of an effective local strategic plan for the DofE in Edinburgh
that has improved the impact of DofE locally.
•
The involvement of parents in leading DofE groups in some parts of Scotland.
•
Work with employers to provide the personal development dimension of
apprenticeship training schemes.
4.
How well did DofE Scotland meet the needs of its stakeholders?
How well did DofE impact on young people?
Young people involved in DofE programmes are gaining important skills from their
experiences. All young people met by inspectors reported increased confidence and
self-esteem and importantly are developing independence, self-reliance and
resilience. They talk with confidence about improving relationships, meeting new
people and working cooperatively with others. There are numerous examples of
young people achieving important skills for life and work. Participants from
2
independent schools and open award groups describe the importance of the DofE in
helping with future career choices. Some are drawing on their experiences to help
with applications for university courses and curriculum vitaes. Others talk about
learning practical skills, planning more effectively and motivating others. Some are
progressing to become leaders within DofE.
The quality of learning experiences are very well developed. Progression from
Bronze, through Silver and to Gold Awards is highly valued by young people. Many
describe being taken out of their comfort zones through the challenging range of
activities on offer. Flexibility of delivery allows groups of young people to attain parts
of the award. For example, young people with mental health issues in Edinburgh are
gaining sectional certificates for specific aspects such as volunteering or skills.
Some are re-engaging with education as a result of their involvement. In some
national voluntary youth organisations, young people with additional learning support
needs are engaging successfully with the active learning approaches adopted by the
DofE.
Increasingly the DofE is successfully engaging more marginalised and disaffected
young people. Through its New Start Project, participants are being engaged who
are poor school attenders, are involved with youth justice services or are in young
offenders institutions. In conjunction with library staff a group of young men from
Edinburgh increased literacy and numeracy skills through a themed football
programme. Anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood reduced considerably and
the library received a number of prestigious awards. The DofE’s Curriculum for
Excellence National Project is leading to a few local authorities reporting a 70%
increase in awards completed.
Commendably, the DofE is responding well to local and national policy agendas such
as Curriculum for Excellence and Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC). Money
raised by the Friends of the Award Group in Edinburgh is being used to target
effectively young people looked after by the local authority in residential units. Many
are gaining awards and moving on to work or further education. A few large public
and private sector employers are making effective use of the DofE as the personal
development component of their training programmes for apprentices.
How well did the DofE impact on communities?
Volunteering is a required section of the award and is contributing considerably to
developing young people as skilled and active members of their communities. Young
people in Perth & Kinross are volunteering as dance tutors, youth group leaders and
helping vulnerable members of their community. There is also a strong
environmental learning focus within the expedition section. Young adults in Perth
Prison's Friarton Unit had renovated a bothy for their volunteering section. Across
the country young people are volunteering in charity shops and in other settings such
as residential care for the elderly. Some young people are increasing their skills and
confidence by completing additional leadership training qualifications. Their
volunteering experience was ensuring the future continuation of voluntary groups.
Local and national charities such as Tayside Mountain Rescue, Maggie's Centre and
Guide Dogs for the Blind Association are benefiting from the substantial amount of
funds being raised by DofE participants. Productive partnerships with Friends of the
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Award Edinburgh and Perth & Kinross DofE Association had accessed substantial
additional funding for the DofE to enhance training, transport and develop specific
projects in response to need. However, there is very little evidence collected to
demonstrate the financial and social impact of this high level of volunteering by
young people and adults.
How well did the DofE Scotland impact on staff and volunteers?
There is a very high level of adult volunteering with an estimated 5,000 volunteers
supporting almost 1,000 DofE groups in Scotland. Regular training and support is
provided both nationally and locally and volunteers feel very well supported by
Scottish HQ and local OA staff.
Scotland Office staff are very well supported and are motivated and keen to do a
good job. They are given appropriate induction and training and have good
opportunities to develop. There are high levels of commitment and staff take pride in
their work. All staff participate in the Personal Development Performance Review
(PDPR) and find it valuable. Staff in the Scotland Office are effectively consulted
about future developments. They have confidence in the way the organisation is
being led. Recent changes to the style of management are welcomed and there are
regular meetings involving administrative staff. Regular away days are providing a
platform for collegiate discussion and sharing understanding of roles. Changes to
the way the DofE operates is widely supported by staff.
Staff are well regarded by DofE leaders and volunteers. They are viewed as
supportive and responsive. A recently appointed training officer is providing very
good opportunities for volunteers and operating authorities. Flexibility of approach in
how the DofE is delivered is broadly welcomed. However, some feel that the pace of
change is considerable and that there should be time for consolidation. DofE
managers nationally and locally should ensure that a clear strategy to support and
manage change is in place.
Staff and volunteers have a strong sense of belief in their work and all feel valued by
the organisation. Training is available through local development staff and HQ staff
are also providing each Operating Authority with two days free training per year.
Teachers, who were volunteer leaders in Perth High School, acknowledge the
challenges involved but all agreed it had benefited their personal development and
had fostered a different, more positive relationship with pupils. HQ staff are
described as helpful, responsive and friendly. There is wide acknowledgement of a
number of positive changes in the DofE over the past two years. However, some
volunteers and staff in partner agencies cautioned against the hasty introduction of
important innovations such as DofE, an electronic version of the DofE log book.
4
5.
How effective was the Scotland in key aspects of management?
Inclusion, equality and fairness
There are a number of examples where DofE is being used successfully with more
marginalised young people. Staff in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team at
The Royal Edinburgh Hospital are using the DofE very effectively in their work with
young people. Perth Prison's Friarton Unit have run two successful Bronze groups
and members of Perth's (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) group have
progressed to Gold level. Leaders are using a more flexible approach with these
groups and had made good use of the sectional awards as a way of retaining
momentum for participants. Effective targeting and solid support from leaders has
resulted in strong completion rates within these groups. Closer examination of the
disparity of participation rates across local authority areas in Scotland would assist in
more effective targeting. This would also ensure that all young people have access
to DofE irrespective of where they live. Whilst the DofE is aware of the need to
develop the involvement of young people from black and minority ethnic communities
and those with additional support needs, other groups of young people, such as
young care leavers could gain from involvement. The development of employability
and core skills through participating in the DofE would be of definite benefit to young
people, such as care leavers, who require More Choices and More Chances. Only
53% of OAs collate equalities information and this needs to be addressed to gain an
accurate picture of involvement from excluded individuals, groups and communities
across Scotland. Some young people with additional learning support needs are
being reached by the DofE through its traditional work, but the extent of this is not
known.
Participation of service users and other stakeholders
DofE staff are providing some important opportunities for involving their volunteers
and stakeholders. The introduction of meetings in geographical areas for DofE
managers is welcomed. This has significantly increased participation by key
stakeholders and is viewed by them as helpful and supportive. Communication with
volunteers and DofE managers is generally effective. The current Director is
implementing annual meetings for all operating authorities and this is helping to
ensure greater stakeholder involvement. There is scope to further involve all
partners in policy development and operational planning. DofE staff are making
efforts to involve young people in the life and work of the organisation. The Young
Ambassadors Programme is a promising development to encourage youth
participation although it is in its early stages. A clear plan is needed to more fully
involve young people in planning and evaluation. Overall, the DofE in Scotland has
made significant progress in recent years to engage better with its key stakeholders
but there is still some way to go before the impacts of the improvements are
translated into improved performance.
Operational planning
The DofE Scotland operational plan for 2009/2010 is very clear, well presented and
easy to use. Staff make very effective use of mindmap software to show the
complete picture on a single page. All staff and advisory council members contribute
5
to the operational plan. Senior staff ensure that there are effective linkages in
planning between the UK organisation and Scotland. Operational planning is clearly
linked to financial planning. However, at present there is no UK Strategic Plan and,
the DofE in Scotland does not have a related strategic plan. As a result, analysis of
trends in performance data do not result in medium-term goal setting and effective
improvement planning. The Director for Scotland and the Scottish Advisory Council
have recognised the need for a strategic plan to guide the vision and direction of the
DofE in Scotland in the medium and longer term.
6.
How effective was the leadership of DofE Scotland?
Volunteers, staff and partners hold positive views about the leadership provided by
the Director. He operates a style of leadership that is empowering for those who
work for DofE Scotland and makes every effort to engage with key partners across
Scotland. The pace of change at UK level has been considerable in recent years
and this has mainly been well received in Scotland. DofE Scotland too has been
agile in adapting to key policy changes in Scotland, particularly in respect of
Curriculum for Excellence. For example, joint work with the Centre for Confidence
and Wellbeing is using assessment instruments to test the impact of DofE
involvement on young people’s confidence and resilience. Staff in the Scotland
Office are well supported by a skilled and experienced team of advisors who make
up the Scottish Advisory Committee. The lack of a strategic plan results in lack of
clarity about strategic vision and direction. Staff and senior volunteers are aware that
DofE Scotland needs to develop clear strategic goals for the next period in order to
build on its successes and to take forward its contribution to education in Scotland.
As part of its strategic planning, DofE Scotland, with OAs, need to address issues of
equality of access to the programme in different parts of Scotland. It also needs to
consider how best to contribute to the lives of young people from minority ethnic
communities and those with additional support needs.
7.
What is DofE Scotland’s capacity to improve?
A key characteristic of the success of the DofE programme is its capacity to be
harnessed by a range of partner agencies to enhance their own work with young
people. For example, it works well with state and independent schools, national
uniformed youth organisations, employers’ apprenticeship schemes, mental health
providers and young offenders’ institutions. These are providing a significant
personal development and accreditation programme that complements the core
activities of this diverse range of providers. Its impacts are well aligned to the values,
purposes and capacities of Curriculum for Excellence. Where it is working with
young people with additional support needs, the impacts are impressive. Inspectors
spoke with young people with a range of additional support needs who had benefited
greatly from their involvement. In Scotland, the DofE generates a high level of
community volunteering by young people and adults. Where this is successful it
contributes significantly to building social capital in communities. This was well
described by a parent volunteer who in discussing the volunteer section of the award
said people’s ‘paths keep crossing’ in her town.
6
There are challenges ahead, not least the funding challenges presented by the
economic recession. DofE Scotland needs to build its relationships with local
authority Operating Authorities so that as many as possible reach the standards of
the best. This requires more imaginative and sustained partnership work by DofE
Scotland and the local authorities. For example, how might these partners capture
the contribution of all DofE Operating Authorities to the Single Outcome Agreements
within each local authority area? The recent rebranding of DofE and the
development of DofE should both help in this journey.
The DofE Scotland office has a small management team and there are associated
capacity issues. The potential contribution of the DofE, particularly as Curriculum for
Excellence develops across Scotland, is very significant indeed. Careful and
inclusive strategic and operational planning, and careful support and development of
partner staff and volunteers will be needed if supply is to meet demand and full
potential realised.
8.
Main points for action
HMIE and DofE Scotland have agreed on the basis of this review that DofE Scotland
should take the following actions to further improve its impacts on young people and
on communities in Scotland:
•
Develop and implement a strategic plan that is fully consulted on and agreed
with OAs.
•
Improve its capacity to demonstrate the impacts and outcomes of its work with
young people and communities.
•
Work with local authority OAs to embed the contribution of DofE within local
Single Outcome Agreements.
•
Ensure that young people have opportunities to access DofE irrespective of
where they live in Scotland, and can benefit from the award’s potential to
support them achieve positive outcomes under Curriculum for Excellence.
9.
What happens next?
In view of the positive findings of this review HMIE will disengage from the review
process. It recommends that DofE Scotland takes forward the main points for action
above.
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Appendix 1:
Quality indicators used to evaluate DofE Scotland
HM Inspectors use performance measures and quality indicators when making
judgements in their reviews of national voluntary organisations. The quality
indicators used were selected from those published in June 2006 in the publication
HGIOCLD?2. This publication is available on the website www.hmie.gov.uk.
Improvements in performance
Impact on young people
Impact on the community
Impact on paid and voluntary staff
Inclusion, equality and fairness
Participation of service users and stakeholders
Operational planning
Leadership and direction
Jim Rooney
Managing Inspector
HMIE
8
good
excellent
very good
very good
good
satisfactory
good
good
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This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors.
excellent
very good
good
satisfactory
weak
unsatisfactory
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education