Research and analysis

Uniformed Youth Fund evaluation reports: combined executive summary

Published 11 September 2025

Applies to England

About the Uniformed Youth Fund

The Uniformed Youth Fund’s (‘the Fund’) objectives were to increase the capacity of Uniformed Youth Organisations (UYOs), which provide opportunities for young people to take part in structured activities to build skills and relationships, often while wearing a uniform. The Fund aimed to increase opportunities in areas with unmet demand, open new groups in disadvantaged areas, support UYOs to sustainably scale delivery, and ultimately improve the wellbeing and skills development of young people. Eight organisations received a combined £18.3 million over 2.5 years (2022 to 2025) to deliver against these objectives: Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Brigade, Girlguiding, Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade (JLGB), Marine Society and Sea Cadets, Scouts, St John Ambulance and Volunteer Police Cadets. Their work to increase opportunities was particularly targeted in deprived areas (Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 1 to 5 Local Authority areas or Youth Investment Fund places).

About the evaluation

Ipsos UK and Dartington Service Design Lab were appointed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to deliver evaluation work related to the Uniformed Youth Fund. The evaluation had two components: a process evaluation to explore how the Fund was delivered and to what extent it achieved its objectives, and an impact evaluation exploring the impact of participating in uniformed youth groups on young people (which had a broader remit beyond the Fund). Given the different research aims, these evaluations were reported on separately. This executive summary provides the key findings from the two reports and synthesises the conclusions and recommendations.

Evaluation aims and methods

Both evaluations employed a mixed-methods approach to answer the research questions in the table below.

Process evaluation	Impact evaluation
1.Did the Fund improve the recruitment and retention of adult volunteers to uniform youth groups?	1. What was the impact of participating in uniformed youth groups on social and emotional skills, practical skills and wellbeing?
2. How was the Fund delivered on the ground in terms of creating new spaces? (setting up new groups, expanding capacity at existing groups, reducing waiting lists)	2. Did these impacts vary by the types of activities delivered?
3. To what extent were created places concentrated in deprived areas?	3. What was the impact of participating in uniformed youth groups on educational attainment?
4. What types of young people took up the opportunities created by the Fund?
5. Did the funding improve the long-term sustainability of uniformed youth group places?

Both evaluations drew upon a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. The process evaluation mainly relied upon data from quarterly monitoring reports submitted by the UYOs, interviews with Fund delivery stakeholders, UYO central office staff, volunteers, and one in-depth case study with a new unit in each UYO. Learning events hosted by the Youth United Foundation also contributed valuable data.

The impact evaluation utilised a quasi-experimental design (QED) comparing outcomes for uniformed youth group members with a weighted comparison group of non-members using data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) and two rounds of surveys of young people. A total of 1,179 young people completed surveys at both time points, between eight and eleven months apart. A theory-based contribution analysis also drew upon this survey data, as well as interviews with young people (n=31 at two time points), and one in-depth case study per UYO. A Youth Advisory Board (YAB) provided guidance to enhance the research design and incorporate young people’s voices throughout the evaluation.

Process evaluation findings

The process evaluation found that the combined efforts of the funded UYOs exceeded the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set for the three years of the Fund in terms of volunteers recruited, new leaders trained, units created, and places created.

Key achievements across the UYOs include:

• 4,894 new adult volunteers recruited and 3,301 new leaders trained
• 798 new units and 23,741 new places created
• 56% of new places were created in areas of deprivation, in line with the Fund’s aim to address geographical disparities in youth provision
• 13,023 new young people joined

A key aim of the Fund was to reduce waitlists; however, waitlists often continued to grow despite increasing organisational capacity, reflecting increased demand from young people following outreach efforts. The waitlists are also an important indicator of sustainability for a given unit, signalling ongoing local demand.

UYOs engaged in various strategies to meet their individual KPIs. These are outlined in the executive summary for the process report and detailed further in the following sections:

• 3.2.2 – Staff and volunteer recruitment approaches
• 3.2.3 – Retention of volunteers and staff
• 3.3.2 – Expanding capacity

More broadly, central UYO staff members spoke about the Fund being an important ‘catalyst for change’ in their organisations. They reported key improvements in the volunteer experience, the ability to recruit and support more young volunteers and improving accessibility for their members. Most also reflected on the Fund enabling them to increase their capacity, thereby increasing their offer to young people, particularly in deprived communities.

We’ve been able to support all of that existing footprint and new footprints, which has been wonderful, and see great young people come through and do great, wonderful things.

(Central UYO staff member)

Impact evaluation findings

The impact evaluation found evidence supporting the positive impact of UYO membership on young people’s wellbeing, social and emotional development, skills and attainment, and community connectedness. These impacts are outlined further in the report’s own executive summary, as well as in the relevant sub-sections, which are bolded below. In our QED analysis, we tested for differences in the outcomes across UYO members and the weighted comparison group at both time points. Where we observed that outcomes were consistent across both time points, we only report outcomes from wave 2 to streamline findings. Where meaningful differences were observed across the two survey waves, these have been included in the reporting.

The research found that UYOs provide supportive and inclusive environments where young people feel safe, respected, and accepted, fostering trusted relationships with peers and adult leaders. Participating in a range of activities promotes physical health, creativity, and new experiences. The QED analysis suggests a ‘protective effect’ of UYO membership on wellbeing (section 3.2), with higher wellbeing outcomes among members, which were stable across both survey time points. There were lower levels of wellbeing and a decline between the two time points among the comparison group.

Because it’s something I do regularly, it’s something I can always look forward to. And it always makes me happy. I love being around these people.

(St John Ambulance member)

UYOs contribute to the social and emotional development of young people (section 3.3) through structured activities and supportive environments, enhancing cooperation skills, communication, and confidence. QED results from both survey time points revealed that UYO members self-reported higher levels of empathy, responsibility, teamwork, problem-solving and initiative compared to non-members, with particularly strong differences in responsibility and empathy for young people from more deprived areas, compared to members from less deprived areas.

UYOs enhance education and career opportunities for young people by providing valuable life and work skills and supporting academic attainment (section 3.4) through diverse activities. While formal qualifications are not predominantly gained, informal achievements, like badges, boost further skill acquisition and personal development. Analysis of Attainment 8 scores (one of England’s standard measures of secondary school attainment) found that members scored 5.4 points higher than non-members. The impact of UYOs on young people’s readiness for the labour market is especially evident in groups with direct career links, such as Volunteer Police Cadets.

It’s teamwork, teambuilding, leadership. Skills you don’t really get in school. That’s what cadets is – skills beyond school, learning life skills.

(Volunteer, Volunteer Police Cadets)

UYOs foster a sense of community connectedness (section 3.5) through their uniforms and shared experiences. The QED analysis of both survey time points found significant differences between UYO members and the comparison group in terms of their role in their community. At the second survey time point, we found that 61% of UYO members agreed with feeling like a valued member of their community, 16 percentage points higher than the comparison group, with an even wider difference in more deprived communities. There was moderate evidence for the role of UYOs in encouraging social action and civic participation, especially in terms of helping behaviours and engagement in volunteering.

I feel like the uniform for any of the uniformed groups empowers you… you feel like you belong in the uniform, and you have a sense of responsibility.

(St John Ambulance, girl, 15)

Conclusions and recommendations

The process evaluation of the Uniformed Youth Fund revealed substantial achievements in expanding youth provision across England, particularly in areas of deprivation. The impact evaluation also reported positive outcomes for young people as a result of participating in UYOs, including fostering wellbeing, social emotional development, skill development and greater community connections.

Based on these findings, several recommendations are proposed that cut across both the impact and process findings.

• Continue to provide targeted support for disadvantaged youth

Given the particularly strong benefits observed for young people from more deprived areas, continued support for UYOs to prioritise outreach and targeted activities could increase opportunities and participation among this population. This could include reducing financial barriers to membership, providing transportation assistance, and tailoring activities to meet the specific needs and interests of disadvantaged youth.

• Prioritise staff and volunteer development as the foundation of UYO success and positive outcomes for their members

Their recruitment, training and retention is critical to establishing and sustaining new units, particularly in previously unserved communities. Their experiences and views will be crucial to understanding what works and what does not work when creating new units in deprived areas. It is crucial to invest in volunteer training and support to ensure they are equipped to provide high-quality activities and create positive relationships with young people. This training should focus on creating inclusive environments, promoting social and emotional development, and fostering community engagement.

• Promote long-term member engagement for outcomes and sustainability

While positive effects were observed across different lengths of membership durations, stronger impacts were observed on some outcomes among members who had been engaged for 3+ years. Further, longer engagement would mean members reach an age where they are able to take on additional responsibilities, leadership training and leadership roles. This investment in members’ skills, alongside providing good role models through well-trained volunteers, is important for inspiring members to consider volunteering in the future.

• Make use of the research for recruitment and programme enhancement

Many volunteers indicated they were motivated to join by a desire to give back and make a difference. The impact evaluation findings could be incorporated into marketing materials to effectively demonstrate the benefits of UYO participation to potential members, volunteers, and community partners. UYOs can also make use of the findings to explore whether and how their programming is delivering on the key factors that contribute to good outcomes for their members such as safe and supportive environments, engaging and enjoyable activities, and opportunities to take on new challenges and leadership responsibilities.

• Further research (impact)

Additional research is needed to better understand the long-term impact of UYO participation, particularly on educational attainment and career pathways. Longitudinal studies that track young people over time would provide valuable insights into the sustained benefits of UYO membership. Further research is also needed to overcome some of the limitations of this evaluation, for example, the lack of baseline data.

• Further research (delivery)

Future evaluations could include further focus on engaging staff, volunteers, and community partners in underserved communities to understand what does and does not work to establish new units. Additional research could also be done with young people (particularly those from hard-to-reach backgrounds) to understand best practice for recruitment, retention and removing barriers to access.

The Fund has been extended for another year, and some of the above recommendations have already been implemented and will be observed in the next year of the evaluation.