Claire
There are a lot of threads on DAFNE including this sticky ,
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=26523
DAFNE type courses were started in Germany in the 1970, it has been adapted for use in Russia, Austria, Australia , the UK (probably other countries) A similar course is now used in France where I live. (I did a sort of intermediate course here in France... they hadn't quite got their heads round individuals making so many decisions when I was diagnosed. However I was lucky enough to be able to benefit online from the expertise of those who did DAFNE type courses )
Most people find the course useful, some find it life changing.
One thing that is important about any course like this is simply meeting other people with T1.
DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating and is a way of managing Type 1 diabetes for adults and provides the skills necessary to estimate the carbohydrate in each meal and to inject the right dose of insulin.
The aim of DAFNE is to help you lead as normal a life as possible, while controlling your blood glucose levels, hence reducing the risk of long-term diabetes complications
The earlier poster who commented negatively on DAFNE is according to his profile not a T1, not using insulin and was diagnosed within the last year. He may not realise what normal eating can actually mean when contrasted to regimes prior to this.
In earlier years, people might be told to have regular mealtimes, consistent carb amounts , consistent exercise times and consistent insulin doses (adapted only on results the day before and recent exercise). That isn't a caricature, I was taught initially to do exactly this and yes it works well in those that are able to lead a very regular lifestyle. Such a regime is difficult for many people.
Sadly many people are now not even given this type of info and are left to sink or swim.
DAFNE also helps you to cope with illness, ketones eating out, drinking alcohol etc
Here is a DAFNE timetable
http://www.dafne.uk.com/uploads/135/doc ... etable.pdf