Issue No.4 / December 2021
Restart Scheme combines two passions into one role Becky Patton was unemployed for 16 years after struggling to find work due to her disabilities. Her dream jobs were working with animals or as a cleaner. Now she has a role combining both loves, thanks to the Restart Scheme. Becky, aged 33, from Radcliffe in Greater Manchester, was referred to the Restart Scheme by her Work Coach at Jobcentre Plus in Bury. Becky, who has dyslexia, anxiety, an eye condition, and a damaged right hand, began working with Ingeus Restart Advisor Gail Coupe. “I wasn’t comfortable doing certain roles, I wanted a job where I could be myself, no rules or demands that might trigger my anxiety,” said Becky. “Gail is caring and encouraging, supportive and patient, and understands my needs. She suggested lots of support like confidence workshops and CV building.” And within a week, Gail found Becky a job as a cleaner at a local pet store. Issue no.1 / October 2021
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Page 2 Christmas Jumper Day
Page 3 Able Futures advent calendar
“I wanted a job working with animals or as a cleaner, so this is perfect – I get to see the rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and fish while working hard,” added Becky. “Life has really turned around; I feel chuffed to have a job and very grateful to Gail.” Becky has also been helped by other specialists on the Ingeus team including Hayley Newby who organised a weekly bus fare to work for her, and financial advisor Alec Warburton. “Alec was very helpful, super nice and kind – we completed a benefit calculation together and this helped me to understand my options,” recalled Becky.
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Page 4 JETS joins ‘Meet Your Future’ campaign
Becky, who is still seeing Gail for monthly in-work support, praised the Restart Scheme. “The process has been brilliant, it has been an epic experience which I have loved,” she enthused. “I am amazed at how well and fast this all went and I am really enjoying my new job.”
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Team champion Christmas Jumper Day
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Enabling healthier lives in the West Midlands Our Healthier You team recently attended a networking event at Walsall FC Official football ground to showcase the National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP), and it was a huge success. The event was a chance for health providers in the region to advertise their services to general practitioners, and it was attended by 40 local practice managers.
Our team donned their finest Christmas Jumpers on Friday 10th December, which was Christmas Jumper Day, and raised £80 for a great cause!
Issue no.4 / December 2021
Christmas Jumper Day was set up by Save the Children to raise donations and awareness of the charity’s work which helps keep children safe, healthy, and learning. They operate in more than 100 countries around the world, providing children with the medicine, good food, and education they need for a brighter future. You can still support the cause by donating here.
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Mike Bellamy, Regional Engagement Manager for NDPP Midlands and Helen Leve, Health Educator for NDPP had a stall advertising the programme and every practitioner who attended spoke with them to find out more about what Healthier You can offer. All of them subsequently took leaflets and posters to advertise in their practice. Find out more about the Healthier You programme here.
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Able Futures provide people with the tools they need to feel better this New Year
The Able Futures team shared their mental health advent calendar in December, offering a daily tip or piece of information to help people manage their mental health and wellbeing. From how sleep affects our wellbeing and why doing a new activity can help us feel better, to how what we eat affects our mood and lots more. Many of us will be turning our attention to new goals and ambitions as we start
Issue no.4 / December 2021
2022, but these simple tips to help your health & wellbeing can help your mindfulness all year round. Tessa Raine, Marketing Manager for Able Futures, said: “It’s important that we are equipped with the right mental health support and advice going into 2022 after another challenging year – our daily tips and reminders are really important to remember and put into practice, so that we can help feel like the best version of ourselves.” If you’re not familiar with the calendar’s daily tips, take a look at how you can help beat those January blues here
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Restart Advisor rescues Christmas for son of participant
Single dad, Lee, who joined the Restart scheme after becoming unemployed during the pandemic, admitted to Ingeus that he was unable to buy any Christmas presents for his 9-year-old son this year. After learning this, his Restart Advisor reached out to the local football club, and Lee was delighted when they gifted a video message from his son’s favourite players, signed merchandise, and a season ticket to attend all home league games this season! A huge thank you to Oldham Athletic for their generosity.
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JETS Money Management team join ‘Meet Your Future’ campaign young people in Greater Manchester to have access to experiences of the workplace.
The JETS Money Management team recently delivered new workshops as part of the ongoing ‘Meet Your Future’ campaign. The campaign was launched by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, in April 2019 to enable more
Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Bridge Greater Manchester said that the Ingeus sessions were “absolutely fantastic”, and they were “delighted to have Ingeus involved.” They believed the sessions provided “an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness of the opportunities and pathways open to young people in the future.” As part of the campaign, Ian Girvin, Money Management Advisor delivered two workshops to students at Damian’s college in Ashton on money management. Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Bridge Greater Manchester said the sessions were “extremely interesting and important”
and “tied in extremely well with what students will be covering within their PSHE curriculum around building resilience and how to be a responsible citizen.” Ian and Parveen Akhtar, Senior Money Management Advisor also delivered a live presentation via Teams to students on opportunities within the finance sector. GMCA and Bridge GM said: “Parveen and Ian did an amazing job of increasing students’ awareness and understanding of the opportunities open to them, especially roles that aren’t obvious and traditional. The Q&A function was also brilliant.” This session has been shared on their online careers platform and YouTube channel, which will reach hundreds of young people, parents and carers.
Behind the scenes with... Chris O’Connor This month we’re putting Chris O’Connor – Head of Delivery for our Justice division - in the spotlight. Chris was a Probation Officer before joining Ingeus, a role that made him evaluate his thinking about people and inspired him to make a move where he could make an even bigger difference… “I served with the British Army for 15 years, predominantly in North Ireland where I was born. I joined as a Private Soldier and then worked my way through the ranks to be appointed as a Captain. When I left the army, I bought a pub in the Lake District – it sounds amazing but was some of the hardest work I have ever done!
We also asked Chris to answer life’s essential ‘this or that’ questions: Summer or Winter? Definitely Summer
– a place where the slightest wrong decision can have a massive impact on their life. From that point on, I decided that I wanted to make a positive impact.” “That’s when I joined Ingeus! Having the ability to enable better lives is the reason why I love my job. I have been with Ingeus for 10 years now, and have worked in the Employability, Health and now the Justice division. Across all divisions, everything is centred around changing people’s lives for the better. In my current role, I get the opportunity to give people that second chance, to be all they can be, and that means everything.”
Chocolate or sweets? Is that not the same thing? :D Night or morning? Morning, I love the start to a new day not knowing what it will bring City or countryside? Both - the city for the bars and restaurants, and the countryside for the fresh air and walking the dogs Cats or dogs? Dogs - I have 2 Great Danes, Poppy & Stanley Dressed up or casual? Probably a mixture, Smart/Casual? Phone calls or emails? Phone Calls Books or films? Films Night out or night in? Both Holidays or home comforts? Holidays – We love to tour Europe on our Motorbikes, 2 years ago we rode through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, over the Alps into Italy
“When I left the Army I had the perception that everything was black and white, right and wrong, but as a Probation Officer I learned that most people live in that grey area in between
Issue no.4 / December 2021
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