Shift has brought to our partnership an array of skills and expertise in gathering and utilising insight in order to highlight valuable project areas. The energy they bring whilst facilitating has been vital to getting the best out of our co-creation sessions.

Kareina Henry, Programme Quality Associate, NCS    

The Challenge

The National Citizen Service runs a 4-week programme for young people delivered by a diverse network of youth organisations – a model which enables the programme to adapt to local needs, but throws up challenges around consistency of experience and quality of provision.

The Solution

We are working with the NCS Trust to implement tools and processes that support a system of continuous improvement, driving up the quality of the programme across the country. We’ve developed:

  • A redeveloped Theory of Change for the whole programme, which provides the basis for aligning the aims of providers across the delivery network.
  • A Quality Framework for the whole network, which provides a description of ‘quality’ in the context of the programme, supporting providers to design high quality programmes and aligning assessments of the programme.
  • Systems support for developing a cycle of continuous improvement, including support with turning insights into actions, sharing good practice across the network, and embedding a design approach
  • Skill sharing and mentorship to build the capacity for ongoing improvement within the NCS Trust and delivery network

Stats and Facts

  • 100+ local delivery partners of NCS use our revised Theory of Change and new Quality Framework used by
  • 50+ external assessments using our Quality Framework
  • 18 members of the NCS Trust and provider network consulted in the development of the revised Theory of Change
  • Programme Quality Community of Practice set up with quarterly meetings to co-create system of continuous improvement
  • 100s of NCS providers learning from our design methodology

Research

Comment