National Citizen Service Trust Annual Business Plan 2025 to 2026
The National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust is a youth programme that runs across England, focused on 16 to 17-year-olds poised on the cusp of adulthood.
Applies to England
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On 12 November 2024, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy MP announced in the House of Commons the intention to wind down the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme from March 2025, and close the NCS Trust when parliamentary time allows.
On behalf of the government, the NCS Trust delivered a youth programme that offered a range of experiences across England, focused on those on the cusp of adulthood. It aimed to ensure that young people had both the maturity and open mindedness to reflect on their lives and the world around them whilst being open to change, new ideas and people. Offering an important intervention at this critical time in their lives, NCS helped young people to grow their strengths and realise their potential to become exactly who they want to be — through boosting their confidence, getting involved in social action, making new friends from different backgrounds, and learning new skills to become world and work ready and young national citizens.
The Trust is incorporated by Royal Charter pursuant to the National Citizen Service Act (2017) and is governed by a diverse board of trustees. The NCS programme was almost entirely funded by the government, through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the responsibility for commissioning and overseeing the delivery of the NCS programme belonged to the Trust. The Trust was the only dedicated public body for youth and works closely with the government to shape their ambitions for young people.
It is a legal obligation of the Trust to publish an annual business plan in line with a series of regulations, setting out the NCS Trust’s strategic priorities and main activities for the year.
National Citizen Service programme delivery concluded in March 2025.
We are now working in partnership with the NCS Trust to close all operations as soon as possible.