Blog

Wellbeing is at the heart of successful rehabilitation and resettlement

24 Jun 2024

Ingeus delivers the Personal Wellbeing service in four regions: the East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, and North East. These services are commissioned by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and sit at the heart of their Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) for men in the justice system.  

Every person referred into the service is assigned to an Advisor and is supported throughout their journey by a Wellbeing Mentor. Through this approach we can engage people who often bring with them a deep mistrust of people in authority. We understand that many of our participants have experienced trauma and are in survival mode – fight or flight – which can manifest as either disengagement or combative and sometimes aggressive behaviour. We see all behaviour as communication and our teams try to look behind the behaviour to understand what it will take to help that person to feel safe, to let their guard down and to shift the dial from survive to thrive.  

The Personal Wellbeing service is currently made up of four pathways:  

Emotional Wellbeing 

Lifestyle and Associates 

Family and Significant Others 

Social Inclusion 

These pathways relate to core needs identified by Probation Practitioners during each individual’s assessment. People  usually require a holistic response that integrates all  these elements. It is therefore encouraging that future plans for this service recognise the need for a truly  person-centred approach, designed to meet multiple and complex needs that are often inter-related and require a holistic response. 

Ingeus work closely with a wide network of partners, both formally as part of our supply chain and more informally alongside a wider community network. Our wellbeing services are jointly delivered with PACT and CGL who provide effective interventions that support family relationships and healthier lifestyles. We also work closely with GOALS UK and deliver their two-day motivational course which has a lasting impact and helps our participants to take responsibility for their futures. 

Our core commitment to Lived Experience supports the wellbeing of our participants in multiple ways. 17% of our staff have personal experience of the justice system and together with our network of volunteer Peer Mentors, they help us to ensure our services are relevant, credible and inspiring. Our Peer Mentor Academy also crucially offers opportunities to those receiving our services to become one of the helpers, offering empowerment and a sense of purpose, both highly valuable in improving wellbeing. 

We recognise and celebrate diversity and neurodiversity and ensure that our wellbeing services appeal to different cultures and learning styles, using arts-based activities, sport and even lego! Partnering with organisations like Geese Theatre and Odd Arts, we find drama-based interventions particularly impactful, offering both catharsis and the opportunity to try out new approaches. 

After a long career in the justice sector, it is a privilege to be delivering services that focus on wellbeing. We know that desistance from offending is hard to achieve and that feelings of self-worth and self-efficacy are key.  

This is backed up by a strong body of research. Research by Maruna and Mann in 2019 concluded that ‘People are more likely to desist when they have strong ties to family and community, employment that fulfils them, recognition of their worth from others, feelings of hope and self-efficacy and a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives’. 

The impact of our services, alongside the work of the probation service to manage risk and address offending behaviour, means that less people offend, and more people achieve their potential as a citizen. The wider, positive impact on society is manifold.