Blog

Transforming Lives Through Ingeus' Finance, Benefits and Debt Services

18 Mar 2025

The close link between lack of finances, debts, poor money management and offending is widely recognised. It closely relates to associated issues of social exclusion, mental health, unemployment, homelessness, care experience, traumatic childhoods, substance misuse and poor educational attainment. – All of which are more prevalent amongst those who end up in the criminal justice system. 

Ingeus provides finance, benefits and debt (FBD) services to people on probation and people leaving custody in the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Thames Valley, Hampshire and across the South -West, where we also work with those on remand. These specialist services are commissioned by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) as part of their Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) for men in the justice system.  

A person’s journey starts following a referral from a Probation Practitioner.  Each person is assigned an Advisor with whom they work closely. The advisor carries out comprehensive assessments leading to a tailored action plan to address their specific needs.  

At the heart of this support is a relationship based on trust, which our advisors work hard to develop with each participant as they begin to explore and address their personal financial circumstances. Through one-to-one sessions, the Advisor supports and empowers the participant to address their needs; this can involve a range of activities such as ensuring the individual is receiving the correct benefits, creating a personalised budgeting plan, or negotiating realistic repayment plans with creditors. I have heard many accounts from advisors of people coming into the centre with a carrier bag full of bills, and they describe the enormous feeling of relief when the Advisor calmly helps sort through them individually.  

People accessing our FBD service can also benefit from one or more sessions from our range of interventions. These sessions aim to upskill people, putting them in a more secure position and increasing their confidence that they can manage their finances and avoid getting into debt in the future.  

Anyone who has ever been in debt will know how overwhelming it can be and will recognise the feeling of desperation that can lead to poor decision-making, possibly even offending. We understand how debt and insufficient income can seriously impact on mental health and the overall wellbeing of the individual and their family. We will often discuss a referral to our Personal Wellbeing services with the participant and their Probation Practitioner to ensure our services are delivered in a holistic and integrated way.  

Another important factor to our delivery is working closely with a wide network of partners, both formally as part of our supply chain and more informally alongside a wider community network. Our FBD services are delivered alongside colleagues from Citizens Advice, Birmingham Settlement and Access to Advice, who provide additional support when the type of debt requires Financial Conduct Authority accreditation.  

As with all our Justice services, FBD is backed up by our Ingeus Academy which brings the support of Peer Mentors and colleagues with lived experience of the justice system who can offer wisdom, insight, empathy and inspiration. 

The positive feedback we receive from people who have engaged with our FBD service, and their Probation Practitioners, demonstrates how valuable our input can leave our services feeling more in control of their lives, empowered, and confident in focusing on a more meaningful future away from crime.