NCS Act shifts scheme up a gear

The National Citizen Service Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 14 December 2016, and received Royal Assent on 27 April.

The programme is administered by NCS Trust, a community interest company. The government has set aside £1.2bn to fund NCS until 2020.

It puts onto a statutory footing the National Citizen Service, the government's flagship social action programme for 15- to 17-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland.

The four-week programme, which takes place during the school summer holidays and autumn half term, sees young people participate in skills development, residential trips and community volunteering.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

• The National Citizen Service Act places NCS in legislation, making it a national institution.
• It will turn the NCS Trust from a social enterprise into a Royal Charter body.
• The Royal Charter will form the basis of the new body's constitution, strengthening accountability to government.
• The National Audit Office will become the auditor of the NCS Trust.
• The act also enables NCS Trust to work with HMRC to send a letter to all young people turning 16, to make sure they are aware of the opportunity to take part.

WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

The act will mainly affect NCS Trust, which will transfer to the newly established royal charter body called National Citizen Service Trust.

As part of the incorporation process, a chair and board of directors will be publicly appointed with the aim of improving accountability and decision making.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

NCS Trust says it is working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport to manage the process of transferring contracts smoothly, and to ensure there will be minimal disruption to staff and delivery organisations.

It says there will be no immediate practical implications for the network of more than 200 regional and local organisations that deliver the programme.

The act increases government and parliamentary scrutiny over how public funds are used and administrative decisions made by NCS, although the act makes clear that NCS Trust will preserve its independent ethos.

The changes will raise the status of NCS, but with that comes added scrutiny, says James Cathcart, former chief executive of the British Youth Council.

"This will raise the profile of the organisation's performance, good or bad, putting its annual reports, board performance and management under public scrutiny from all sides," he says.

Cathcart says this will increase the pressure on NCS to produce transparent and independent evaluation to show the programme's impact on young people's outcomes and prospects. It will also usher in a greater focus on performance, targets and value for money, Carthcart says.

In addition, he believes the act paves the way for NCS to develop more partnerships with youth organisations, and possibly schools, to increase engagement with young people, particularly those in hard-to-reach communities.

Such developments would be welcomed by organisations such as environmental youth charity Groundwork, which wants to get more involved in delivering NCS.

Chief executive Graham Duxbury says his organisation is well placed to help NCS engage with young people who are not ready for NCS, but could be prepared for it with appropriate support.

"A recognised pre-NCS confidence-building programme would serve to ensure trusting two-way relationships can be developed between young people and group leaders to reduce the risks involved in those with more challenging behaviours or complex needs engaging in residential activities as their first experience of the programme," he explains.

"There is a group of young people who find it easy to say ‘NCS is not for the likes of me'. Getting over this will take creativity and perseverance, but more importantly, time."

UNRESOLVED ISSUES

While 16- and 17-year olds are the core target group for NCS participation, the act sets out that 15- to 25-year-olds will also be able to take part "from time to time".

Speaking during a public bill committee meeting early this year, youth minister Rob Wilson said the Royal Charter reflects current NCS practice and is designed for exceptional circumstances when someone is unable to do the programme when they are 16 or 17.

Cathcart says while the act may not intend to increase the scope of the programme, "in my view it enables different age groups to be allowed to join the scheme in the future - I expect to see innovation".

There has been no guidance or impact assessment published or produced to accompany the act, so further details are likely to emerge over coming months.

2020 PARTICIPATION TARGETS

213,000   
Number who would be taking part at current rate of increase

247,000   
Target figure for number of 15- to 17-year-olds to participate

360,000   
Original target figure, which was revised down this year

Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport