Issue No.8 / April 2022
Focus on Future You
What’s inside...
Page 3 NCS changemakers making a difference
Page 4 Excellent customer feedback from an NDDP participant
An unemployed young man is being helped to turn his life around with tailored support from Ingeus as part of the FutureYou programme in Greater Manchester. JH, now aged 19, arrived in the UK from Sudan three years ago and was placed in the care system. He admits that at times he felt lonely and would have liked more one-to-one support to learn about the opportunities available to him. With no family to support him, and no friends living nearby, JH was feeling isolated and struggling with his mental health when he joined the FutureYou programme.
Under the scheme, young people are assigned a dedicated mentor to help them progress into work, training or education. These mentors help young people build their confidence, learn new skills and improve their health and wellbeing. Participants are offered practical support with everything from job searching and CV writing to finding work placements and training opportunities. JH began receiving one-to-one support and guidance from an Ingeus mentor. He told her that he was experiencing racial abuse which distressed him, and he did not have a sense of belonging in his community. He was worried he would struggle to find work as he had no fixed address and had been sofa-surfing and staying out on the streets.
FutureYou is delivered by Ingeus and partners on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is co-financed by the European Social Fund. The new £5 million programme for young people in Greater Manchester was launched recently and focuses on 18- to 24-year-olds who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Since joining the programme in February, things are looking much brighter for JH. He has applied for an apprenticeship and is in the process of securing permanent accommodation. His mental health is improving now that he has gained more confidence, and he feels much happier about the future. He is continuing to receive support from FutureYou as he works towards his goals.
Issue no.8 / April 2022
Ingeus Newsletter
Page 5 Restart Scheme health and wellbeing event
I feel comfortable speaking to my mentor. We meet every week and she has supported me with my housing issues and helped me look for an apprenticeship. Meanwhile JH’s mentor couldn’t be more pleased with his progress. She explains: “I have seen JH’s confidence grow in such a short time. When JH joined the programme, he was very quiet and found it difficult to share some of the events happening in his life. I would meet JH in a familiar place so that he would feel comfortable. I felt it was important to make JH feel safe so that we could work together to support him to achieve his goals.” Find out more about FutureYou at www.StartFutureYou.co.uk
1
/ 02
Central London Works publishes 2021 impact report 4,225 people into work, 2,328 courses completed, 7,447 health appointments, and a whole lot more…
Central London Works in 2021:
Transforming lives in a year of change
Across Central London, our teams of employment and health advisors have supported thousands of people into meaningful jobs, working with employers and partners across the Capital to transform the lives of jobseekers that have faced various barriers into work.
Central London Works is designed to help Central London residents who have been unemployed for a long time, as well as people with health conditions, into work. We’ve worked with a range of people throughout Central London including health professionals, employment specialists and local community organisations to help create the ideal support package. Read more about how Central London Works transformed lives throughout 2021 in the annual report here.
Ingeus and IEP collaborate for inclusive recruitment Ingeus has joined up with the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) to design a new qualification for Employer Services which will help people in the sector promote Disability Confidence and become more effective at helping employers practice inclusive recruitment within their business. Issue no.8 / April 2022
Grant Neems, Ingeus’ Director of Employment Services, explains:
person that sits in front of us and wants our support.
“A big part of the Disability Confident Scheme is talking to employers about reasonable adjustments. And it’s often a simple thing to do; it’s a reasonable adjustment to create an opportunity. Front line advisers – and all of us - can treat people with disabilities the same as anyone else.
Employment programmes will come and go, unemployment will rise and fall; but there will always be a group of people that need additional opportunities. We must remain aware of those needs, and not lose them in the bigger programme. And I am incredibly proud of what our sector has done in the last 10 years to help disadvantaged people to thousands of opportunities.
There have been so many changes in the last five years, around Mental Health awareness, health and wellbeing, equality, fights against racism and bigotry. Disability falls into the realm of diversity and inclusion, and we, as a sector, need to make sure that there is ongoing education around disability matters, with the passion and responsibility, to create opportunities for the
Ingeus Newsletter
We must keep making the difference. It’s our responsibility to pass the baton and make sure there’s always provision to meet the social need.” You can read more from Grant about the collaboration in the [edition] of the IEP Journal here. 2
/ 03
NCS changemakers making a difference It’s all been going on this month for our NCS (National Citizen Service) changemakers as they have all been very busy with Action Days and giving back to the community.
• The team raised funds to buy paint so that they could freshen up 2 lounge spaces at the Community Integrated Care home which provides care services for adults with learning and physical disabilities. Painting the space had made it much more homely and welcoming for the residents.
• The Action4Youth’s Changemakers took a break from their exam revision and completed a sponsored walk in Milton Keynes where they dressed up as their favourite fictional characters to raise money for Willen Hospice.
• 23 of our Derby County Community Trust NCS changemakers helped plan, fundraise for and wrap up boxes for the Football Welcomes campaign, which aims to create a more welcoming environment through football and to help refugees and people seeking asylum develop a sense of belonging as they settle into new communities. These boxes
Issue no.8 / April 2022
Ingeus Newsletter
contained essentials to give them a warm welcome into the community and will now be donated to Upbeat communities who will distribute them in Derby. • The team have also been helping out at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, making sure all the animals are clean and well looked after!
All the NCS changemakers have worked so hard and done some amazing work, I’m so proud of all of them. Kayshia Philips, National Changemaker Co-ordinator Changemakers are local groups that design and deliver social action projects for their community, on subjects that matter to them. This year, Changemakers are focussing on improving the environment. Click here to find out more about Changemakers.
3
/ 04
JETS soar to success with 6,000 outcomes Congratulations to the JETS team who have reached a huge milestone of achieving 6,000 job outcomes. One client said “I had been in the same job for 20+ years. I had never had an interview and was absolutely petrified,
I had been in the same job for 20+ years. I had never had an interview and was absolutely petrified, With JETS help and amazing support I got the job. I couldn't be happier.
with JETS help and amazing support, I got the job. I couldn’t be happier.” This achievement is a testament to all of their hard work – well done everyone. JETS provides continuous support to participants for up to six months, with an aim to get people back into work quickly. Ingeus delivers JETS in North West England, Greater Manchester and Central London.
Customer feedback
They went above and beyond to really support me with everything from my CV to the Interview Preparation.
Ingeus mentioned in HEE’s latest discovery report Health Education England (HEE) recently published ‘The Future of Health and Work Experience: Discovery report’.
We received some excellent feedback from an National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) participant earlier this month. Rosie Robertson said: “I would just like to say how much I enjoyed the programme and thank you for making it fun as well as informative. It’s such an excellent programme which I think everyone should go on. I will definitely be referring back to my notes to make sure I keep on track!”
Issue no.8 / April 2022
Gave me confidence in myself that I haven’t felt in a long time and I will be forever grateful.
The report sets out how Health Education England intends to achieve its aim of improving the offer of work experience and work-related learning to all our communities, for the benefit of individuals, healthcare employers, patients and service users.
and each individual has unique barriers and obstacles which require support. This helped reiterate that providing work experience and developing or procuring a national platform for its administration is part of an essential support service. In order to reach users, the platform will need to connect with external organisations, such as Ingeus, who work with these individuals. Read the full report here.
Ingeus worked in partnership with HE England to create user stories which provides insight into to why people need work experience, and how successfully they currently find access to it. This helped HE England to identify and solve the ‘right’ problems. Ingeus highlighted that there is no ‘typical’ unemployed person
Ingeus Newsletter
4
Restart Scheme health and wellbeing event
/ 05
It was fantastic to see so many of our Restart Scheme customers at our ‘Health, Wellbeing and You’ event in Manchester on 29th April.
Our Health and Wellbeing marketplace was run by local partners who were on hand to talk to our customers about issues which might be preventing them from finding work. Representatives from local
Ingeus is shortlisted for the Better Society Awards
Issue no.8 / April 2022
We’ve been shortlisted for the Better Society Awards in the Inclusive Employer and Tech for Good categories, amongst prestigious organisations such as Natwest Group, KPMG, Phoenix Group and more!
Ingeus Newsletter
NHS Trusts, charities and other organisations covered a range of subjects including mental health, wellbeing and physical health, volunteering opportunities, caring responsibilities and ESOL learning.
Our business is all about people and enabling better lives – for our colleagues, customers and communities – and this recognition is testament to our teams’ efforts in creating environments where everybody can thrive and providing personalised, accessible services through innovation and local partnerships. The winners will be announced in May at an Awards Gala Dinner.
5
/ 06
Restart Scheme in Bolton host an eggcellent team event The Restart Scheme team in Bolton held an ‘eggstravaganza’ in honour of Easter, which included some funky egg decorations and a day full of fun and laughter. 9 job starts were also confirmed and a further 13 participants had interviews arranged on this day. It was a great day and the team loved being all together again! Continuing the ‘eggcellent’ team meetings, our CRS team recently including an egg and spoon race in their latest management meeting, where Katie Guest shone through as winner!
Getting to know you with... Hayley Newby
Summer or Winter? I actually like both but prefer summer with a cocktail or two in the garden on an evening, UK weather permitting of course Chocolate or sweets? Haribo all the way!!
This month we’re putting Hayley Newby, Team Leader for Restart Scheme in Bury, in the Spotlight. Hayley started working with Ingeus in September 2020 on JETS before joining the Restart Scheme. “I love my job. The key fundamental and the most rewarding part is following our participant’s journey into employment, and seeing them overcome any barriers they may have had with the support of their advisor.” “My favourite part of the job is working alongside my team and seeing the support that is given to our participants. I love hearing and sharing their good news stories and feedback - there really is nothing more rewarding.”
Issue no.8 / April 2022
We asked Hayley some of life’s essential this and that questions:
Ingeus Newsletter
Night or morning? I am a morning person and feel much more productive City or countryside? Countryside most definitely, peace and quiet plus long dog walks Cats or dogs? Dogs, I have twin Border Collies who are 2 years old – a handful but wouldn’t swap them Dressed up or casual? Casual. There’s nothing nicer than feeling warm, cosy and comfortable Phone calls or emails? Phone – I much prefer an actual conversation, talking is good Books or films? Both – love an autobiography and also love films especially action movies Night out or night in? Night in, cosy, a glass of wine, treats and a good action movie Holidays or home comforts? I love both, holidays to unwind, recharge and wellbeing then home comforts which make me feel happy, cosy and safe.
6