Pilot schemes offer possible model for a national youth volunteering service

But the study, conducted by Price Waterhouse, suggests that there are lessons government could learn for its Millenium Volunteers Scheme from the pilots if cost-effectiveness is to be achieved.

It finds that the pilot schemes got off to a slow start when they were launched 18 months ago by CSV (Community Service Volunteers). In recent months, however, all three have proved more successful at recruiting volunteers to place with education, health, community care, crime prevention and environmental improvement projects.

Although the 18 to 25-year old volunteers receive only meal and travel expenses of £10 - £15 a week, the evaluation did not find evidence of volunteers being exploited or of jobs being taken away from paid workers. The report also finds that:

• There was a high turnover rate among recruits during the first few weeks. Four out of ten volunteers in the pilot schemes dropped out prematurely, compared with one in three who stayed in their placement for more than 16 weeks.
• Early recruitment problems contributed to annual costs per volunteer of £994 in Southwark, £1,242 in Sunderland and £1,567 in Cardiff - significantly higher than the target range of £600 to £900.
• Most recruits were unemployed (although not necessarily claiming benefit) and nearly half gave a work-related reason for volunteering. The reason volunteers most often gave for leaving prematurely was that they had found a job.
• Due to the slow start, schemes were not expected to meet their targets of each recruiting 450 volunteers by the end of 1998. Recent trends were more encouraging, making it likely that eventual recruitment would exceed 300 volunteers per scheme.
• The projects succeeded in finding more placements than they could fill. About a third of volunteers were working in education, 26 per cent in health and community care and 18 per cent in community safety and environmental improvements.
• The pilot schemes attracted a wide range of volunteers, including university graduates, school-leavers and a number of young offenders. More than nine out of ten volunteers reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their placements. Most said that certificates, press coverage, and public recognition and endorsement were more important than financial rewards.
• A national scheme of this kind would cost £30-40 million a year to organise for 50,000 volunteers. 

On the assumption that work done by volunteers could be valued at £5 a hour, the return would only be 90p for every £1 invested, but this would improve to £2.80 once the targeted costs per volunteer were achieved. In the pilot schemes some volunteers were in jobs with relatively high values, such as classroom assistants, and the actual rate of return achieved in the schemes taken together was estimated at £1.50.

The report concludes that a national Citizens' Service would need to establish a clear identity, distinct from other job creation or 'welfare to work' schemes. Given the high proportion of volunteers likely to be unemployed, its relationship with the social security system and the employment and benefit agencies would require clarification.

A successful scheme would also have to overcome the early recruitment difficulties experienced by the pilot projects. Organisers would need to recognise that even though volunteering can be satisfying in itself, young people's main motivation for involvement will often be to gain experience that can help them find paid work.

Luc Moens, author of the report, said: "The model for a Citizens' Service scheme that these pilot schemes have tested is one that could be replicated nationally with large numbers of volunteers - especially if the education and health sectors were prepared to increase their support.

"However, a national service would need to be more cost-effective, while maintaining the standards and core principles that have guided the pilot projects. These principles include a policy of never turning volunteers away, of supporting volunteers during their placement and of responding flexibly to individual circumstances."

He added: "The evaluation found no evidence of exploitation of volunteers and - on the small scale that the pilot schemes were working - job substitution was not an problem. Nevertheless, this could be more sensitive issue for a national scheme and mechanisms to stop it happening would need to be in place."