Impact Newsletter - November 2022

Influencing change and reducing violence at Reduction Network Leicester

What’s inside...

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JETs Expo in Manchester

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Donating clothes and food

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National stress awareness day

Ingeus was privileged to take an active role in elevating youth voice and influencing change at Violence Reduction Network’s Leicester and London Hope Hack events as part of The Hope Collective vision to create a ‘fairer society through the eyes of young people.’

We could not be prouder to hear from the inspirational people from our programmes as they talk authentically about their journeys, changes in attitude, and re-shaping their future.

Jahzeal spoke from the heart about his time spent in and out of prison, and how empowering it felt to take ownership and change his life for the better after re-entering society. He delivered a message of hope and inspiration that you can be an influence on the community around you. Jahzeal now works as a Personal Wellbeing Mentor for Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS), continuing to inspire others with similar stories to his own.

Our NCS (National Citizen Service) team led a session discussing topics affecting young people today, such as mental health, skills and employment, and social isolation and inclusion, as well as solutions they’ve developed from working together.

Learn more about The Hope Collective here: www.hopecollectiveuk.com

White Ribbon Day

On the 25th November, we supported White Ribbon Day, a campaign to prevent male violence against women and girls. This year’s campaign had a football-related theme to reflect the launch of the FIFA World Cup. #TheGoal saw men and boys being encouraged to adopt 11 traits – each representing a player in a football team – to promote safety and equality for women.

Ingeus’ Justice team is helping to prevent domestic violence through our Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) Personal Wellbeing programme. This gives men on probation the support they need to recognise the impact of their thoughts and behaviour on those around them. Visit our website to find out more.

JETS speed up job hunting for participants

The team had a great day showcasing the JETS contract in Greater Manchester during the JETS Expo on 24th November, with 26 stands filled by employers including the likes of Stagecoach, Evri, WEA and Street League.

The Expo included a live iWorks demonstration from the Ingeus Integration Team, an interview techniques workshop, CV support, and money management advice.

Feedback has been extremely positive on the event from our stakeholders.

One participant said: “All of the staff were really helpful and I learnt quite a few new things. I will look into some of the sites mentioned.”

Another said: “The event was so friendly and welcoming, Clare remembered my name after meeting me at reception and had a lovely chat with me about what I was hoping to get out of the day. She even suggested a few employers and stands for me to speak to and introduced me to some as I was really nervous. She spotted me as I was leaving and checked in to see how I got on.”

Well done everyone!

Ingeus does Movember!

Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health on a global scale, focusing on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

We’d like to take a moment to shine a light on some of the Ingeus team who have taken part and share their story behind the ‘tache.

One of our Employer Account Managers, Jack McPoland, has been raising money throughout the past 30 days to donate to this important cause - and he has the Mo to show for it!

Vinnie Picari, Partnership Manager for Commissioned Rehabilitative Services,

is also passionate about raising awareness for men’s health as his father had prostate cancer.

Joe Squillaci, Group Facilitator for Job Entry Support (JETS), wants to do his part to remove the stigma around men opening up about their mental health.

Joe says: “When it comes to mental health, just seeing those moustaches out in the public (no matter how great/awful they look) slowly removes the stigma around men isolating themselves when it comes to their own mental health. It helps them feel a little more comfortable when they’re feeling helpless that they can’t reach out to a friend or stranger. Those conversations save lives and that is why I choose to ‘attempt’ to grow a moustache every year to ensure more and more men feel able to have those chats - Grow A Mo, Save A Bro!”

We’re proud and touched by all the effort and support our teams have put in for Movember 2022.

Self-confidence is key to success

For 19-year-old Habi, the idea of walking into a room full of strangers was anxiety-inducing. Her lack of selfconfidence meant that she was too nervous to attend job interviews. But it was vital to break out of her comfort zone if she was to reach her goal of finding work. After joining Ingeus’ FutureYou programme, Habi was given the help she needed to move forward.

FutureYou is delivered by Ingeus and partners in Greater Manchester and is aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment, or

training (NEET). As well as practical help in finding a job or relevant course, they can also receive emotional support to improve their wellbeing. Habi had been unemployed for more than six months when she joined FutureYou, co-delivered by Ingeus supply chain partner Early Break. She had completed a Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) programme earlier this year and had worked on her CV but was still searching for employment.

Habi explained to her FutureYou mentor that her lack of confidence was one of her biggest barriers to finding a job. She said her anxiety would prevent her from attending any job interviews she was offered. Habi’s mentor set about helping her improve her confidence by giving her worksheets to go through and techniques to use. They worked together on a job interview plan, and this helped to reduce Habi’s insecurities.

Habi was encouraged to attend a candle-making course funded by Early Break’s wellbeing fund. This was not only a great outlet for Habi’s creativity, but it also boosted her self-esteem. Working with people she had never met before

helped to improve her social skills. By overcoming her fear of entering a room full of strangers, she was finally ready to move into employment. Habi recently secured an interview which has led to a full-time job.

The three months she spent on the FutureYou programme have been life-changing for Habi, as her mentor explains: “She is confident to join clubs and meet new people with little anxiety. She is now employed and enjoying her job after not believing she could get one. I am really happy with the engagement and progress she has made.”

Habi adds: “I highly recommend the course as it is very helpful. Thanks.”

This is proof that however impossible a situation may feel, a bit of self-belief can go a very long way. Well done, Habi!

Together with our supply chain partners, Ingeus delivers FutureYou on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The programme is cofinanced by the European Social Fund and provides mentoring to unemployed young people as they choose their next step.

Having fun

changing

Ingeus helps single mum break cycle of rejection

Our teams held an 80s themed event which welcomed service users from our Restart Scheme to get support with updating CVs and mock interviews to imitate the job process and prepare them for real ones in the future, as well as providing feedback to improve their technique.

In total 70 CVs were created, 13 interviews arranged, and 2 immediate job starts. Well done everyone!

Now you can watch the new video which brings the partnership to life! Watch how we are working with The Body Shop to create an inclusive approach to recruitment.

Martina is a single mum, and when you’re a single parent with no support network, working life can be tough. It’s even harder when your child has a serious health problem.

Would Martina ever be able to break the cycle of rejection from prospective employers? Take a look at the video on our YouTube channel to see how Ingeus came to the rescue.

and

people’s lives whilst doing it

Last month, we told you all about our exciting new partnership with retail giant The Body Shop.

Donating clothes and food to others during difficult times

Manchester and Back2Work’s Bank.

Teams

Ingeus’ Greater Manchester teams, alongside our partner The B2W Group have been elbow deep in piles of donated work clothes ready to be given a new home with Get Oldham Working, Wardrobe GM, Smart Works Greater

An amazing 387 items were donated by Ingeus colleagues from our Restart Scheme centres and distributed across the organisations for the people that need them most – they might just help someone secure their next job!

Thank you to our employees – and all those involved – for making a difference.

Our Hackney centre has also been busily collecting food donations for the Trussell Trust, who we have a partnership with in Hackney. They donated two large boxes to the Trust earlier on this month.

Parveen Ahktar, Senior Money Management Advisor, and Julie Garfield, Restart Integration Coordinator, were there to share our work with GMCA and our supply chain partners, and how we support people and places to develop sustainably, highlighting the important contribution of our money management service which helps people struggling with financial issues.

A fantastic event sharing all things we’re passionate about – people, places, and partnerships!

Thank you to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for inviting us!

across the business have been doing lots to help others over the last few weeks!

Ingeus recently attended the 17th iNetworks Annual Conference to share and learn about the innovative projects happening across the North of England to drive positive societal change and enable better lives.

Discovering more opportunities to drive positive societal change

Soothing stress on National Stress Awareness Day

National Stress Awareness Day was on Wednesday 2nd November. The day highlights the ways that stress can affect people and how to manage this to prevent further problems developing.

Stress is unique to the individual and we all have different triggers that can cause us to feel overwhelmed. However, a common cause of stress for most is work. In fact, 79% of people in the UK say that their most common cause of stress is work-related, and 74% have recently felt so stressed that they were unable to cope.

We took the opportunity to share some helpful tips and techniques that people can introduce into their workday to help minimise and manage stresses.

Time management and prioritisation techniques

Organise your time based on your energy levels. For example, if you’re least productive in the afternoon, use this time to do more routine, admin-based tasks.

Prioritise breaks set boundaries – make sure you know when to ‘switch off’ and use your personal time for you!

Ask for support from your employer

If you feel like you need help, speak to your manager to understand if there is support they could offer to help you manage and prioritise your workload.

The support and changes to workload

don’t have to be permanent, but instead a process and a conversation –constantly checking–in and reviewing the arrangement.

Positive self-statements

Be kind to yourself and repeat phrases such as ‘I am enough’.

Negative thoughts are an additional source of stress.

Creative distractions

Distraction techniques can reduce worried or anxious thoughts.

Make time for your hobbies or try new ones, even simple things like reading a

book or baking can help.

Look after your physical health

Exercise releases endorphins which reduces stress. Go for a walk during your lunch break to get some daylight and fresh air, and ensure you regularly get up from your desk to do some stretches or mediation.

We also shared a webinar from our AbleFutures mental health experts on ways to identify feelings of stress and demonstrate tools and techniques that Able Futures can help you put into practice to reduce the impact of stress in the workplace.

Getting to know you...

Sophie

May Wickham, Social Media Executive

for Ingeus

We asked Sophie some of life’s essential questions:

Summer or Winter? Summer

Chocolate or sweets? Chocolate Night or morning? Night

City or countryside? Countryside

This month, we’re putting Sophie May Wickham, Social Media Executive for Ingeus, in the spotlight. Sophie tells us a little more about her role:

“I look after Ingeus’ social media channels and the content that is shared across them.

I love the variety that comes with working with social media and being able to be creative in different formats. It’s constantly evolving so I’m always learning about new updates and trends – and I try to have fun with it!”

Cats or dogs? Dogs Dressed up or casual? Casual

Phone calls or emails? Emails Books or films? Films

Night out or night in? Bit of both!

Holidays or home comforts? Holidays