Community Service

Pilots
Prospectus for
Applicants
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Contents

1. Why Community Service for 14 to 16 year olds? 2

2. Community Service pilots 3
3. What do we mean by Community Service? 5
4. What will it look like? 6
5. What are the benefits of being a pilot? 7
6. What will we expect of pilot areas? 9
7. What are the Criteria? 11
8. How to apply 12
9. Application Form 13
2 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

1. Why Community Service for

14 to 16 year olds?

Community Service involves young people making direct and positive contributions to improve

their community. They take part in activities aimed at making a real difference and improving the
lives of others.
Community Service is also an important contributor to the Government’s social, community and
education (personal development) agenda, promoting active and engaged citizenship. For young
people, volunteering and Community Service opportunities enable them to make a personal
contribution, sharing their time and talents to make a tangible difference to their local
community. Community Service activities help young people to develop an awareness of issues
affecting their communities, and to recognise that they can change things for the better.
Community Service has strong connections to the objectives of Every Child Matters and the three
aims of the National Curriculum to enable all young people to become successful learners who
enjoy learning, make progress and achieve; confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy
and fulfilling lives; and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. There are
also links to the Government agenda on learning outside the classroom, eco schools/sustainability,
2012 and our priorities for community cohesion and citizenship.
Of course, there are direct benefits for communities too from the efforts of young people – for
example, in improving the environment or supporting older people, helping out in places such as
sports clubs and community centres.  There are also substantial gains in building stronger, more
cohesive communities – through wider participation and involvement, increased contacts
between generations, and a stronger sense of a shared duty for all in contributing to a better
society.
It is for these reasons that the Prime Minister set out, on 24 April this year, his expectation that all
young people will undertake some service in their community. More specifically he announced
the Government’s ambition that, in time, all young people will contribute at least 50 hours of
Community Service by the age of 19.  
This announcement builds on substantial Government investment in v, the national young
volunteers’ service, which is already inspiring a new generation of 16-25 year olds to share their
time and talents with their communities. The Government is fully committed to building on the
knowledge, skills and expertise of the national vinvolved network, and considers v a key strategic
partner in the proposed expansion of Community Service provision for 14-16 year olds.
 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 3

2. Community Service pilots

To help turn this ambition into reality, the Government has allocated £7m over the next two years
to establish intensive Community Service pilots in five local authority areas. These pilots, which
will run from January 2010, will explore what works in achieving universal or very high levels of
Community Service among 14-16 year olds. This could include:
●● what kind of opportunities are most attractive to this age group;
●● how to identify and organise opportunities;
●● how to match young people to the right opportunities for them;
●● how to motivate young people to volunteer for opportunities;
●● how to recognise young people’s contribution, including the skills they gain, and the
community impact of their activities; and
●● how to ensure that opportunities work both for the young people and for the community
organisation.
These intensive pilots will run alongside more general measures to support all schools to extend
Community Service opportunities for 14-16 year olds. These include new guidance, sharing of
good practice; development of online directories of information about local Community Service
opportunities for schools; and guidance on safeguarding issues.

A strategic partnership with v

v is funded by Government and the private sector to inspire a new generation of 16-25 year olds
to share their time and talents with their communities. To date, v has engaged almost half a
million young people in Community Service initiatives, supported by a national network of 107
vinvolved teams, covering every local authority area in England. These expert staff teams are
responsible for working with community organisations to develop innovative and exciting
volunteering opportunities for young people, as well as recruiting and brokering young people to
get involved. We therefore expect that vinvolved teams will be involved in these pilots, ensuring
that we capitalise on the experience and expertise of this national network in expanding
Community Service provision for 14-16 year olds.
As well as engaging the practical support and expertise of the vinvolved team network, we are
also planning to develop a recognition scheme for 14-16 year olds, which will build on v’s existing
recognition scheme for 16-25 year olds – the vinspired awards (formerly MV). The vinspired
awards scheme is available online, and enables young people to record their volunteering hours,
as well as encouraging them to reflect on the skills gained and the impact of their activities on the
4 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

community. We will be working with v to involve employers and higher education institutions in
developing the accreditation scheme so that it has their support.
Expressions of interest are now invited from local authorities, in partnership with vinvolved
teams, schools, national or local third sector organisations and others wishing to participate
in this pilot.
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3. What do we mean by
Community Service?

Community Service can involve any kind of activity which involves doing something which aims
to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives, or to
benefit the environment. In the case of 14-16 year olds Community Service will:
●● provide experiences of real quality and excellence;
●● bring citizenship in schools alive in a dynamic, hands-on way;
●● develop students’ skills and confidence and learning experiences;
●● provide opportunities for teamwork and collaboration between young people, across gender,
ethnicity and ability; and
●● generate valuable contributions and innovative solutions to social issues from young people
themselves.
This could be in the school environment – for example, mentoring or training younger pupils;
helping primary age children read; fundraising within the school for a local or global cause; or
participation in School Councils and other forums. It can also include extended schools activities
where young people can both support and take the lead.
Community Service outside school could involve coaching a sports team; setting up a community
radio station; developing a community allotment; running a campaign on a local issue;
co-ordinating a dance project in a local youth centre; intergenerational activities; supporting
charities, social groups or corporate social responsibility objectives of businesses; or leading an
environmental awareness project. It can be carried out in the private sector in a non-profit making
environment and public sector as well as in third sector organisations.
A key requirement of the pilots will be that not only local authorities but the wider local
community, schools and indeed young people themselves should be involved in designing the
‘offer’.
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4. What will it look like?

The expansion of Community Service to 14-16 year olds provides an important opportunity to
build on the Government’s existing investments in v, the national young volunteers’ service, by
introducing young people to Community Service at an earlier age and providing a supportive
framework which enables them to make a positive and hopefully sustained contribution
throughout their lives. Government is therefore keen to ensure that this pilot initiative is linked in
a strategic and coherent way to the existing youth volunteering infrastructure provided by v, so
that Community Service pathways are coherent and young people can progress easily, inspiring
them to sustain their involvement in the longer term.
The desire to increase community involvement amongst 14-16 year olds is driven by a vision of a
young person enjoying their childhood and reaching maturity with a sustained and developing
set of skills, behaviours and capabilities that will equip them to lead a rich and fulfilling adult life.
This vision lies at the heart of the Children’s Plan and has the capacity to make a significant
contribution to the delivery of the Every Child Matters outcomes.
Such a young person would understand the needs of, and be active in, their communities,
wanting to help to shape them for the better. They would be excited and motivated and in
particular:
●● know that their views and contribution are important and valued;
●● be confident in entering unfamiliar or new situations and working alongside people of different
ages, backgrounds, ethnicity and social groups;
●● be motivated to seek further opportunities for service throughout their lives; and
●● recognise and be proud of their own and others’ ability to create positive change in
communities.
We are looking to the pilots to involve sustained and in-depth work with a view to all 14-16 year
olds taking part in activities of different kinds. In the case of small local authorities it should be
possible to involve all secondary schools. In large local authorities this might not be the case and
we might expect them to identify an area within their boundaries where the pilot might operate.
The principle of universal or very high levels of participation in the schools within the pilot area
will be paramount.
We are also keen to track the impact of these pilots on organisations and communities, helping to
demonstrate the added value of engaging 14-16 year olds in Community Service.
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5. What are the benefits

of being a pilot?

Complementarity to help you deliver your vision

Selection as a pilot should help you deliver your vision for young people in your area. It will bring
additional resources, energy and expertise into the work you are already doing to develop youth
engagement and help you implement an effective delivery plan. The outcomes of the pilot should
contribute to your Every Child Matters targets, youth engagement / community cohesion duty
and national indicators chosen by the local authority.

Local profile, support and challenge

An opportunity to strengthen the connection between schools and community organisations,
which will contribute to a sustainable improvement in Community Service provision for young
people within your area and improve the way in which young people shape the nature of that
provision.

National profile, support and challenge

An opportunity to work closely with Central Government as part of a small and powerful network
whose experiences and expertise will shape the long term delivery of the Government’s ambition.
At the same time, the pilots provide an exciting opportunity to try out new approaches, to learn
from working with young people in new ways and to work with new partners and organisations.

Practical support and expertise

Your local authority will be able to draw on the expertise and experience of v, the national young
volunteers’ service, as you develop your Community Service programme. Knowledgeable staff in
local vinvolved teams will be able to map existing volunteering opportunities for 14-16 year olds,
and work with you to create a local authority-wide programme, including the generation of new
opportunities for the 14-16 audience. The local authority will also benefit from v’s expertise in
motivating, inspiring and engaging young people to volunteer, helping to maximise the impact of
your programme. Schools participating in the pilot will also have access to vinspired.com, the
online volunteering marketplace, where young people can search for opportunities and gain
recognition for their Community Service, via a bespoke version of the vinspired awards,
developed for these pilots.
8 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

Funding
We are seeking five pilots, of differing scale and ambition, and requiring different levels of
investment. You should explain how much you actually require and why but you may apply for up
to £1.4 million to be paid over two years from 1 January 2010 to 31 March 2011.
 9

6. What will we expect of pilot

areas?

We are seeking a range of pilots, reflecting a range of different contexts and approaches and
different levels of existing Community Service among young people.
The selection process will take place in two stages. In the first stage, applicants should, using the
application form supplied, submit an expression of interest to undertake a pilot that sets out what
they aim to do to achieve universal or very high levels of participation. Applications will be judged
against the criteria set out in Section 7.
In the second stage, shortlisted applicants will develop a detailed delivery plan. This will require
you to provide further information which must confirm the information provided at the first stage.

Information to be provided at the First Stage

We expect local authorities to apply on behalf of a partnership. We will require that the local
authority has the capacity and systems to lead, manage and evaluate the project, its funding and
meet the conditions of the grant. We will also require local authorities to capitalize on the
expertise already available locally, and in particular, to engage their local vinvolved team as a
strategic partner in designing their bid.
Applicants should set out which organisations are members of the partnership. As a minimum, we
would expect all partnerships to include the local authority, schools, and the local vinvolved
team as part of the pilot, alongside any other relevant third sector organisations, such as
Community Service Volunteers (CSV), the Princes Trust and Worldwide Volunteering. Partnerships
should also make links with other local learning providers, the public and private sectors and
professionals. We would expect the local authority to pay due regard to the ‘The Compact’ in its
relationship with its third sector partners – www.thecompact.org.uk.
The pilot will build on the programmes you already support and manage for young people and to
be effective we will need applicants to commit to having the co-operation and engagement of
staff, including those at the most senior levels, from all organisations within the partnership.
Those implementing your delivery plans will require appropriate skills and training to ensure their
success. Applicants must commit to undertaking skills assessments and providing training and
CPD to ensure they meet your requirements. The training may be funded out of the additional
funding we will provide.
Applicants should begin by setting out how the pilot fits within the overall offer to young people
they currently make. Within this you should set out:
●● how, as a pilot authority, you will contribute to the development of youth Community Service;
10 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

●● information on current levels of engagement in Community Service activity among 14-16 year
olds in your area;
●● a description of the initiatives you and your schools currently have in place (if any) to promote
take-up of Community Service/volunteering activity among the target group;
●● how your local authority plans to engage with v, as the Government’s strategic youth
volunteering partner, and in particular, how you will capitalize on the expertise of the local
vinvolved team;
●● the organisations that you intend to partner with to deliver your pilot;
●● how many 14-16 year olds you expect to engage in Community Service activity within the pilot
area during the course of the pilot, and how near that will come to universal coverage;
●● how young people will be involved in shaping the development and delivery of the
Community Service programme;
●● outline proposals for how you plan to employ innovative approaches to identify and reach out
to all 14-16 year olds to participate in Community Service;
●● outline proposals for increasing the availability in your community of the core activities which
make up the offer described in Section 3. You will also be expected to offer young people a rich
and full range of additional Community Service opportunities;
●● how you will ensure that young people will be offered high quality opportunities, with clear
roles, appropriate training and support, and a chance to develop and enhance their skills;
●● how your pilot will seek to give recognition to the Community Service undertaken by 14-16
year olds;
●● which existing resources will form part of the offer and commit to making these resources
available to the pilot. You should make clear if you are willing to make new resources available;
●● the total level of funding you are seeking from the Community Service Pilot Fund, and explain
how the figure was established;
●● proposals for measuring the impact of the pilot;
●● plans to build capacity to develop and sustain increased participation; and
●● how you will ensure that where young people show additional interest they will be given the
chance to develop this. As part of this you should describe how you will ensure young people
have pathways into further involvement in the third sector.
You should describe how you will seek to define quality, the range of opportunities which you feel
should be included, and how young people will be recognised for the Community Service they
undertake. This should include which aspects of existing curriculum activity will be considered
part of the offer.
Finally, you must also be prepared to commit to engaging in self-evaluation and research with the
support of external researchers where appropriate. It is anticipated that every pilot will be
involved in self-review. Every pilot will be expected to audit existing provision and to co-operate
fully with any monitoring and evaluation which is procured and managed by DCSF.
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7. What are the Criteria?

The final decision as to which local authorities will be awarded pilot status will be made against
the following criteria:

Essential criteria will include:

●● selecting National Indicator 6 (participating in formal volunteering) within your Local Area
Agreement;
●● likelihood of achieving universality or very high levels of participation within the pilot area;
●● the ability to deliver strong evaluation; and
●● quality assurance through the strategic engagement of the local vinvolved team.

Additional criteria will include:

●● evidence that the pilot builds on the existing youth volunteering infrastructure, and specifically,
the knowledge and expertise of the local vinvolved team;
●● evidence that the pilot would improve the impact of successful existing strategies;
●● the most convincing evidence of need, whether in provision, access, participation, quality or
targeting;
●● evidence of the ability to put together strong local partnerships and an effective delivery team;
●● the most effective engagement of young people in the shaping and delivery of the programme
content;
●● that the programme would be innovative and exploit the use of new technologies where
appropriate;
●● that the programme would lead to learning outcomes for children and young people, and offer
them structured progression;
●● that the programme would be sustainable, inclusive and diverse;
●● that the programme would encourage more involvement from parents and the wider
community;
●● the quality and range of opportunities to be provided;
●● that the pilot would lever significant additional resources and would represent value for
money; and
●● how you will work with partners, including project management, risk management and
funding.
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8. How to apply

You should complete the application form below and submit it to:
Debbie Burton,
Community Service Programme Team
Department for Children, Schools and Families
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
Westminster
London SW1P 3BT
or by email to community.service@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Information on Community Service is available on the DCSF website at www.dcsf.gov.uk/
everychildmatters/publications/documents as well as on the OTS website.

Timetable for applications

The deadline for the submission of expressions of interest, using the application form and
guidance provided, is 5pm on Wednesday 30th September, 2009. Expressions of interest
received after this deadline will not be considered.
It is hoped that short listed applicants will be notified early October 2009 and invited to provide a
more detailed application by October/November 2009.
Following notification of the successful applicants in November/December 2009 we will expect
that the delivery of the pilot programmes should commence in January 2010.
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9. Application Form

COMMUNITY SERVICE PILOTS EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Summary of proposal
1. Describe briefly how you think you will contribute to the development of youth
Community Service as a pilot authority.

500 words max.

14 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

Current Activity
2. What information do you have (if any) on current levels of engagement in Community
Service activity among 14-16 year olds in your area?

250 words max.

3. Please provide a brief description of the initiatives you/your schools currently have in
place (if any) to promote take-up of Community Service/volunteering activity among the
target group.

250 words max.

 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 15

Working in Partnership
4. Please outline how your local authority plans to engage with v, as the Government’s
strategic youth volunteering partner, and in particular, how you will capitalize on the
expertise of the local vinvolved team.

250 words max.

5. Please set out which other organisations you intend to partner with in order to deliver
your pilot.

250 words max.

16 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

Coverage
6. How many 14-16 year olds you expect to engage in Community Service activity within
the pilot area during the course of the pilot? What percentage is this of the total target
population within the pilot area? How have you arrived at this figure?

500 words max.

 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 17

Involving Young People

7. How will you ensure that young people are involved in shaping the development and
delivery of the Community Service pilot?

250 words max.

8. Please outline proposals for how you plan to employ innovative approaches to identify
and reach out to all 14-16 year olds in the pilot area to participate in Community Service.

250 words max.

18 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

New Opportunities
9. Please outline your proposals to increase the availability in your community of the core
activities which make up the offer described in Section 3 of the Prospectus.

250 words max.

10. How you will ensure that young people will be offered high quality opportunities, with
clear roles, appropriate training and support, and a chance to develop and enhance their
skills?

250 words max.

 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 19

Recognition
11. Please outline how your pilot will seek to give recognition to the Community Service
undertaken by 14-16 year olds.

250 words max.

Resources
12. Please describe the existing resources that will form part of the offer and confirm that you
will make these resources available to the pilot. Applications should make clear if they are
willing to make new resources available.

250 words max.

20 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

13. Please estimate the total level of funding you are seeking from the Community Service
Pilot Fund, broken down by financial year, and explain how the figure was established.

250 words max.

 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 21

Evaluation
14. Please set out how you intend to measure the impact of the pilot, and record levels of
increased Community Service among the target group.

500 words max.

22 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

Legacy
15. How will you ensure that the pilot builds capacity to develop and sustain increased
participation beyond its end?

250 words max.

16. How will you ensure that where young people show additional interest in Community Service
they will be given the chance to develop this? As part of this applicants should describe how
they will ensure young people have pathways into further involvement in the third sector.

250 words max.

 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants 23

Additional Information

Organisation name
Local authorities should lead applications. Please include the local authority name and address
and details of the organisations that are members of your partnership including the schools
involved in your bid.

Main contact details for the project

This should be the person in your local authority who will be the main person dealing with your
proposal.

Title First name Surname

Position or job title

24 Community Service Pilots: Prospectus for Applicants

Address for correspondence including post code. Leave blank if the same as above.

Post Code

Phone Nº Fax Nº Email address

The Expression of Interest form should be e-mailed to community.service@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk or sent

to:
Debbie Burton,
Community Service Programme Team
Department for Children, Schools and Families
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
Westminster
London SW1P 3BT
by 5pm Wednesday 30th September 2009. Forms received after this date will not be
considered.
Data Protection: We will use the information you give us on this form and supporting documents
to administer and analyse grants and for our own research purposes. We may give copies of all or
some of this information to individuals and organisations we consult when assessing applications,
monitoring grants and evaluating funding processes and impacts. These organisations may
include accountants and external evaluators. We may also share information with other
government departments, organisations providing matched funding and individuals with a
legitimate interest in grants or for the prevention or detection of fraud. We might use the data
you provide for our own research purposes. We recognise the need to maintain the confidentiality
of vulnerable groups and their details will not be made public in any way, except as required by
law.
Freedom of Information Act: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public
the right to request any information that we hold. This includes information received from third
parties, such as, although not limited to grant applicants, grant holders, contractors and people
making a complaint.
If information is requested under the Freedom of Information Act we will release it, subject to
exemptions; although we may choose to consult with you first. If you think that information you
are providing may be exempt from release if requested, you should let us know when you apply.
ISBN: 000-0-00000-000-0
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