Issue No.3 / November 2021
CFO Activity Hubs officially open!
What’s inside...
Page 3 APM floats on the ASX
Ingeus proudly showcased its innovative rehabilitation services during official openings of its three communitybased CFO Activity Hubs at the end of November. The centres, in Durham, Darlington and Middlesbrough, hosted open days for more than 70 invited guests to meet staff and participants, and to witness the pioneering support available to exoffenders living in the community. CFO Activity Hubs provide a safe, supportive and welcoming space for participants to access tailored advice and guidance; interacting with positive roles models and peers. Ingeus and its specialist partners, including East Durham college,
Issue no.1 / October 2021
TKO, Catharsis Creative Arts Therapy and PACT, provide support for areas including accommodation; health issues; finance and debt; education, employment and training, to strengthen resettlement into the community and reduce reoffending. Chris O’Connor, Head of Delivery for Ingeus’ CFO Activity Hubs commented: “We were delighted to welcome stakeholders, partners and supply chain organisations to learn more about the vital role CFO Activity Hubs play in supporting positive rehabilitation. Working closely with probation practitioners and local partners, our services support positive change and outcomes for ex-offenders and the communities in which they live. “Guests saw at first hand the welcoming and upbeat atmosphere, and expert advice and guidance given to our participants users to empower and maintain their rehabilitation journey.” The CFO Activity Hub project is funded via HM Prison & Probation Service Co-
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Page 4 Veterans create over 100 matchstick poppies to mark Remembrance Day
Page 7 A great month for the CRS team in East Midlands
Financing Organisation (HMPPS CFO). HMPPS CFO is a European Social Fund resettlement support programme which delivers projects aimed at improving employability, which are seen as key to changing lives and reducing reoffending. To learn more about the work of HMPPS CFO, please click here.
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APM floats on the ASX On the 12th November, Ingeus’ parent company, APM Group, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). APM is a multi-national human services provider, supporting more than one million people in the last financial year across the 10 counties in which it operates and employing more than 7,000 people.
An important milestone in the international company’s growth, APM’s Executive Chair and Founder, Megan Wynne, said: “We will continue to grow and expand our business globally. We will continue to deliver on our purpose of Enabling Better Lives, by partnering with our stakeholders, and supporting more clients each year to positively change their lives”. APM Group Chief Executive, Michael Anghie, commented: “It goes without saying, our focus remains on building a long-term sustainable business that delivers on our purpose - Enabling Better Lives. We do this through the provision of human services; services focused on enhancing an individual’s employability, health and wellbeing,
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and social and economic participation in their community. Nothing changes in our day-to-day and we will continue to invest and grow our business to support more people each year across our operations and be the market leading human services company globally.” You can read the full statement from APM here.
JETS celebrate Children in Need with POP party Friday 19th November was Children in Need day, and the JETS team held a special Performance Optimisation Party (POP) to raise money for the cause. Throughout the day there were various fundraising opportunities, including a ‘show your spots’ fancy dress and a ‘selfie with Pudsey’ competition. The day finished off with a virtual disco to showcase all competition entries and celebrate the good news and jobs secured for people on the JETS programme. A huge 121 job starts were confirmed during the day, with another 117 job interviews booked, and 181 more participants supported! The hard work
Issue no.1 / October 2021
paid off for Pudsey too with a £900 raised in total! Adele Holloway, Operations Director, said: “It was an extremely successful and fun day. We were really pleased with the event – not only were we overwhelmed with everyone’s generosity, we were also thrilled with how much we were able to enhance the job successes of our JETS customers, allowing us to enable better lives for even more people.” Children in Need put the money they raise to work all year round in communities right across the UK. They fund local charities and projects who help remove the barriers that are facing children and young people, so that they can thrive.
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Isla finds a happy ending with the help of Ingeus’s Work and Health Programme Isla Choyce, aged 23, is so happy in her new role as a support worker at an assisted living complex, that most of the time it doesn’t feel like work at all.
NCS spread positivity by delivering postcards to local care home
“It’s so nice to be helping other people who have autism,” she said. “And because I too have autism and mental health issues, I can help and understand more.”
Young people taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) in Leicester took the time to create and deliver 70 postcards with positive messages to the residents of the South Lodge Care home.
She also supports adults with other health and social care needs, including personality and bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. “Sometimes I help people cook or clean their home, other times I give emotional support or help with problems and disputes,” said Isla, who is from Colne in Lancashire. “I also take people out and help them regain their social life.” Isla herself has benefitted from support from Ingeus. She was out of work for four months after she lost her job with a printing company due to the pandemic. Sarah Oldham, at Nelson Jobcentre Plus, referred her to Ingeus’s Work and Health Programme. It helps people into work who have been unemployed for a long time, as well as those with disabilities and health conditions. Ingeus key worker Sonya Colley helped Isla to start her own printing business which boosted Isla’s confidence and independence. But when she began to struggle with the amount of work involved, Sonya supported her once again into her support worker role.
Issue no.1 / October 2021
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The residents were overjoyed by the messages and really appreciated the time and effort from the young people.
“I am thrilled she is doing so well,” said Sonya. “We have a lovely relationship; I have been with her throughout and the consistency of talking to the same person really helps her.” Isla said the guidance and practical help she’s received from Ingeus has been ‘fantastic’. “Sonya is lovely, she really listened and helped me when things were getting overwhelming,” adds Isla. “I have had to overcome some personal challenges in my life but as I have grown up, I’m much better at communicating with people.”
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It’s so important to remember those in care homes, especially around the Christmas period. Elderly residents have suffered due to Covid-19 and the lockdowns, as visitors have been restricted or even banned from the homes. The NCS team also took the time to teach 50 people basic British sign language for their social action projects. They started thinking about issues in their local communities and believed that there was a lack of inclusivity when it came to sign language and deaf residents in the town, so they learned the basics to help residents.
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Veterans create over 100 matchstick poppies to mark Remembrance Day activities to build inclusion and aid their rehabilitation. The CFO Activity Hubs provide a safe space for offenders to receive support for re-integration into society and to develop a wealth of professional skills that will help them secure on-going employment.
A group of veterans have come together to create over 100 poppies made from matchsticks, which they laid at the gravestones of war heroes as a way of paying their respects to the fallen. The veterans are all based at HMP Holme House which operates a Veterans Activity Hub, run by Ingeus in partnership with Project Nova (a unique programme led by RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity and Walking With The Wounded), where ex-military prisoners undertake innovative
Restart Scheme team celebrate 1,000th job start in Central and West London Almost 6 months after the Restart Scheme launched, our Central and West London Team have processed their 1,000th job start – making Ingeus the first provider to achieve this programme milestone. Teams at our 15 Restart Scheme centres and 5 supply chain partners offices in London enjoyed a special
Issue no.1 / October 2021
The matchstick poppies were passed to members of community-based CFO Activity Hubs and were laid, largely by veterans, on Commonwealth War Graves across Durham, Darlington and Middlesbrough on Thursday 11 November. Chris O’Connor, Head of Delivery, said: “The CFO Veterans Hub is a community within a community at HMP Holme House. We’re committed to supporting the veterans, and participants on probation working with our Community CFO Activity Hubs, to strengthen the positive steps being taken towards their rehabilitation.”
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Sadly, for some, the transition can be less smooth and can lead some veterans into offending. Project Nova co-ordinators really understand the experiences of ex-servicemen and women both during and after their military careers. It is this empathy which gives veterans the strength they need to make changes to their lives and access support through health and specialist services. The activity the veterans have undertaken to pay their respects in a meaningful way is a great example of this. We are delighted that through the poppy making in Holme House and the researching and visiting war graves by those using our Community CFO Activity Hubs, that people are able to feel connected with the fallen. It also offers the opportunity to give something back in a practical way, to ensure the memory of these veterans will never be forgotten.”
“Remembrance continues to unite people of all backgrounds and generations, coming together to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community,” adds Colin Back, Project Nova’s National Manager.
As well as creating the matchstick poppies, the ex-Servicemen have also worked together to transform an area of a lawn at Holme House to create a remembrance area consisting of a poppy made of red gravel, plus a vegetable garden which will be used to supply local foodbanks.
“For most veterans, the transition to civilian life is usually successful.
Find out more about the work of Ingeus’s CFO Activity Hubs here
celebratory cake to mark the occasion, which was sent to them as a thank you for their efforts. Caroline Banks, Regional Director for the Restart Scheme in Central and West London. “We are delighted to be the first Restart Scheme provider to achieve 1,000 job starts for our regional contract area. It’s important to remember that each job start represents a person whose life we have helped to improve by supporting them back into sustainable employment. It’s still early in the programme but this milestone is evidence of the positive impact the
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Restart Scheme is already having on our local communities.” We’d like to take the opportunity to thank our employees, Job Centre Plus, external partners, employers, local charities and specialist service providers, and everyone else who helps to make the Restart Scheme a success.
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Employer Services support the Joshua Tree Foundation
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The Employer Services team supported The Joshua Tree foundation at Arley Hall Shopping Spectacular this month. The charity has been severely hit by the pandemic and not being able to fundraise as normal, and the event at Arley Hall was their largest fundraiser of the year. The Ingeus team arrived at 7.30am to help stall holders and visitors with parking, before helping to sell raffle tickets, serve refreshments, work in the café, and provide a helping hand to anyone who needed it! The Arley committee commented:
“Wherever we turned there was an Ingeus volunteer in their green t-shirt on hand to help”.
advice, counselling or just a safe space for families to come together to enjoy family time.
The Joshua Tree supports families that are affected by childhood cancer. They support the whole network around the child, be that parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family and school friends. They offer
Peter Hanlon, Employer Services Manager, said: “The funds raised will go to help lots more families affected by this terrible disease. I am so proud of the team for doing our bit to help.”
Maturing moustaches for Movember
Our Data and Insights team have raised £1,860 for Movember this month – that’s 272% over their target of £500! The team raised £1,330 through JustGiving and £300 through Ingeus’ ‘Give as you earn’ charity scheme. John Shockley, Technical Architect in our IT department got creative and
Issue no.1 / October 2021
dyed his moustache multiple colours, which raised an additional £230 for the cause. Richard Angrave, Director of Data, Insight and Continuous Improvement at Ingeus, commented: “This month I’ve really enjoyed having conversations that have been influenced simply by growing a
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moustache. I really want us to keep these topics at the forefront, especially us chaps who don’t tend to talk about these things, and make sure we use any and all of the help that is available to us.” To donate to Movember which raises awareness of men’s health issues, click here.
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Ingeus celebrates the fifth anniversary of the disability confidence scheme Channel 4 announcer & Co-Chair of 4Purple (Channel 4 Disability Staff Network) and Amanda Wadsworth, Disability Policy Adviser at the Department for Work and Pensions. Julie Graham, CEO of Employment Services, explains more:
November was the 5th anniversary of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme and to celebrate the anniversary, Ingeus came together on Tuesday 2nd November to promote Disability Awareness and see first-hand the difference inclusion can make to people’s lives. Ingeus is built around enabling better lives, and supporting employees and participants in their work, regardless of their circumstances. We had a jam-packed day full of events including guest speakers Corie Brown,
Ingeus CEO speaks at CBI annual conference On 22nd November, our Ingeus UK CEO, Fiona Monahan, joined Matthew Fell, CBI (Confederation of British Industry); Nick Gliddon, Vodafone; Jerome Saint-Marc, Wilko; Raj Singh-Dehal, Center Parcs; and Christopher Whitty, Chief Medical
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We haven’t looked back since joining the Disability Scheme five years ago. More than six percent of our workforce is registered with disabilities, and this continues to grow, with every individual treated equally as an integral part of the Ingeus team. APM UK was the first in its sector to achieve Leader status, and Ingeus quickly followed achieving the same level to become a Disability Confident Leader. Employers progress at their own pace through the first two levels – Disability Confident Committed and Disability Confident Employer – and provide firm evidence at each stage to show how they are demonstrating their commitment. In the last 18 months alone, we have introduced several tools to support our employees, including the use of a Workplace Adjustment Passport, an initiative which ensures that we fully support anyone with a disability to do their job well.
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But what’s vital as a Disability Confident Leader is encouraging other employers to give those opportunities to people with disabilities people too. With a staggering 20,000 employers throughout the UK registered on the scheme, I am incredibly proud to say that Ingeus is one of the go-to employers for those setting out on their Disability Confident journey. We have outwardly promoted the scheme to reach thousands of employers and if a company isn’t Disability Confident then we make sure we offer a validation for them. We’ve completed validations for organisations as high profile as GSK and Channel 4, as well as many government departments. Feedback for the guidance and support we’ve given other businesses in introducing inclusive systems and processes has been outstanding. In fact, DWP described us as passionate and committed in the support we provide to employers as they work through the assessment process. Being a Disability Confident employer is the right thing to do for your business and for your employees. We can help your business to work through the scheme – start by getting in touch! Find out more about the disability confidence scheme here.
Officer for England, to talk about how businesses are responding to the health and wellbeing of their employees – including lessons learned from Covid-19, the latest research on the economic benefits of improving health, and the critical role business can play. It was a fantastic event which allowed us to share our knowledge and expertise on how to enable better lives.
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Read more about the CBI event here
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A great month for the CRS team in East Midlands
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we have had to adapt our provision and communication, so to be able to actually see people in a physical environment was amazing.”
Raising money for charity
The CRS team have had a great month seeing each other face-to-face for the first time, raising money for charity, celebrating peer mentor graduations, and building connections at events.
The CRS Personal Wellbeing team in East Midlands also held their first ever team training day in Leicester. To take advantage of all being together, they held a cake sale and raised another £40 for the Hidden Heroes charity. After some opening words from Operations Director, Carrie Peters, and Regional Manager, Bev Caesar, the team got down to the serious business of getting to know each other – talking, laughing and learning. They delivered a group session on diversity and protected characteristics, watched a special video prepared by the clinical supervision support service, received insight talks from partners PACT and CGL, and so much more!
Fostering new connections and opportunities
Celebrating the hard work of Peer Mentors
On 18th November, Samantha Gibbard, CRS ETE East Midlands Partnerships and Employers Manager and Gavin Caines, CGL Specialist ETE Advisor attended the Faces to Names networking event in Lincoln. The event brings together Public Sector and Third Sector Providers to foster new links and find opportunities to work together.
On the same day, the first six Ingeus Academy Peer Mentors graduated after completing their training. Probation officers either joined in person or sent their congratulations in writing to be read out.
It was also a fantastic occasion to showcase the amazing work the CRS team do and uncover the support available to the residents of Lincoln and Lincolnshire. The office of the Police Crime Commissioner, Fire Brigade, Lincoln County and City Councils through to local Community interest Companies (CiC) were among some that attended the event, as well as organisations offering support for mental and physical health disabilities, social inclusion, community projects, housing, education, training providers. Samantha Gibbard commented: “It was great to get back out and meet people face to face, Covid has meant
Issue no.1 / October 2021
Suzanne Hunt, Peer Mentoring Lead at Ingeus, said: “I’d like to congratulate all six Peer Mentors on their commitment and dedication to helping people on probation and those participants who are part of the Ingeus Justice team - it was an excellent day and great to see how far they have all come. We are now recruiting for the next cohort to start in January, looking at running the training in Nottingham or Derby.” The purpose of a Peer Mentor is to assist clients through barrier identification and provide support through the delivery of mentoring. They must ensure high levels of delivery to meet required standards and client satisfaction, to promote the development and expansion of Company activities.
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Restart scheme celebrates opening of flagship centre On 17th November, the Restart team celebrated the official launch of our Restart Scheme centre in central Manchester with an open day. The event was well attended by senior officials from the Department of Work and Pensions, Manchester City Council and Jobcentre Plus, as well as local employers, charities, specialist service providers and other partners. Former participant and newly appointed Restart Scheme Advisor, Sue Howard, marked the opening of our Greater Manchester flagship centre by cutting a red ribbon with Darran Nuttall, National Account Manager for the Department for Work and Pensions, and Ingeus Head of Delivery, Katie Littlemore. Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: “The partnership between the DWP and Ingeus is the latest example of our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs delivering in the North West. This innovative and localised support will create fresh opportunities for jobseekers to thrive in new careers as we push to build back better.”
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Able Futures helps participants cope at Christmas Although Christmas is typically associated with fun and festivity, this period can also be a particularly tough time of year for many people. In fact, according to YouGov, over two in five people in the UK have felt stressed during the festive season, whilst a quarter have struggled with anxiety and depression. Able Futures ran a special webinar on Monday 6th December to help people cope at Christmas. Hosted by a Jean Langford, an Able Futures Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, this session talked through different issues that may affect our wellbeing during the festive season and mean we find it harder to cope. We explained how Able Futures can help support people with many things that may be playing on their mind, such as money worries, feeling overwhelmed, family or relationship issues or loneliness, and other subjects that can affect us at times like Christmas and other festive seasons.
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Ingeus sponsors the Multicultural Business Community Champion Awards We are delighted to have been an Award Sponsor for the Multicultural Business Community Champion Awards 2021 (MBCC), presenting the Mentor of the Year Award. The evening celebrates and showcases the best of business and community work throughout the country. Moni Kular, Ingeus’ Head of Delivery, presented the Mentor of the Year award and commented: “It was a fantastic night! I had the huge honour of meeting Kanya King CBE MBE, CEO and founder of Music of Black Origin, and Zoe ‘Motivational Queen’ Bennett, founder of MBCC Awards. I also had the opportunity to speak with the inspirational Safiyya Vorajee who set up the Azaylia Foundation to raise money for children fighting cancer after sadly losing her own daughter. I met some truly incredible individuals at this very inspiring event recognising important causes.” Congratulations to all the well-deserved award winners!
Behind the scenes with... Ian Duckworth This week we’re putting the spotlight on Ian Duckworth from North West JETS. Ian joined the JETS programme in 2020 after being referred by his Jobcentre Work Coach. He has come full circle with the programme as he is now employed by JETS as an Employment Coach, where he supports participants who are looking for work - in the same position that he was last year. Ian says: “My Employment Coach, Tracey Fulton was phenomenal. She was so supportive when I started the scheme and, as we discussed different career paths and transferable skills, she planted the seed that I’d be good as an Employment Coach. Although working for Ingeus appealed to me, I quickly secured a job with a
Issue no.1 / October 2021
company working from home as a call centre agent. The job was perfect for me, and I was so grateful to Tracey for helping me to secure it. Later in the year though, I noticed a job with Ingeus had come up, so I applied, had an interview and was offered the position. Having used the JETS service before when I was unemployed, it was really exciting to be able to share my experience with new participants, I understood where they were coming from, and I think that helped me in my first few months. Ingeus have supported me in so many ways since joining, I’ve been given opportunities to try new roles, such as working on the Engagement team, supporting sector specific cohorts and visiting job centres.”
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We asked Ian to answer some of life’s essential ‘this or that’ questions to get to know him a little better:
Summer or Winter? Summer Chocolate or sweets? Sweets Night or morning? Morning City or countryside? Countryside Cats or dogs? Dogs, I have 2 Dressed up or casual? Casual Phone calls or emails? Phone Calls Books or films? Books, if I’m feeling lazy audiobooks! Night out or night in? Night in Holidays or home comforts? Holidays, as long as its somewhere warm
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