National Citizen Service Evaluation Report 2018
This is an independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service programme
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Details
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport commissioned an independent provider to conduct an evaluation of the National Citizen Service (NCS). NCS is a Government-backed initiative that brings together young people aged 15 to 17 from different backgrounds, giving them the chance to undertake a programme of personal and social development and community action.
The 2018 evaluation covers the summer standard NCS programmes, and autumn standard programmes, and adopted a similar approach to previous NCS evaluations. The programmes were assessed as a whole against their objectives to enable and encourage social cohesion, social mobility and social engagement. The evaluation also aims to understand whether NCS represents good value for money.
The approach used was a baseline survey at the start of the programme and a follow-up survey three months later. NCS participants were matched to a comparison group of non-participants using propensity score matching. Difference in difference analysis was used to assess the impact NCS participation had on a range of outcomes. Further detail on the methodology used can be found in the evaluation technical report.