Case Study

When circumstance forced pub landlord Andrew’s hand into taking a new job as a prison officer back in 2012, little did he realise it would eventually lead to him finding his vocation and coincidentally progress his working life behind bars. Joining Ingeus 11 years later, he’s as committed as ever to the support he gives to people in custody. 

 

Andrew is a now a Senior Advisor in the South Central Accommodation team having joined Ingeus in 2023 and earnt a promotion 18 months later. He spends his mornings visiting prisons across Oxfordshire and Hampshire, and afternoons working from home progressing his caseloads and overseeing those of five other advisors. It’s an involved and busy role but provides a work-life balance he values after the rigours of hospitality and prison service work. 

 

“My wife and I ran pubs, but when she became ill I needed to earn a living elsewhere,” says Andrew. “Working with people gave me transferable skills the prison service recognised so I joined. It didn’t turn out to be the career for me but through it I gained a real interest for people in custody. Some really decent people affected by trauma can end up in prison.” 

 

Having worked at HMP Bullingdon, Andrew was working as a trainer and facilitator when Ingeus came knocking at his door. The opportunity? … To again support those at Bullingdon (and further afield), this time as an Ingeus accommodation advisor – he jumped at the chance to return, but this time with a very different management approach: 

 

“By its nature, being a prison officer is very regimented,” adds Andrew. “As I found my feet at Ingeus I wanted the freedom to use my experience to connect with people, to work my way. My role is far from just doing accommodation assessments, it’s not just a process. You’ve got to get to know people and be interested in them to support them properly. My manager understands that. We still work within our contract, but I’m not micromanaged. I get the job done, but I listen and do the right thing by people.” 

 

Andrew is supported in his often demanding role by a team he describes as ‘a close knit group’. While there’s little time for additional activities, he completed an ILM Level 3 Leadership and Management qualification last year and is also intent on taking up some of the travel discounts and healthcare benefits Ingeus offers.  
At home, it’s his family and dachshunds, Olive and Ernie, that help him relax. 

“I have the best of all worlds really,” Andrew adds. “We are very tight as a group at work and are lucky to have a manager that genuinely leads by example. Working in custody, I can access prison service support too, and a long walk with the dogs generally sets me straight. 

“I’ve found my ‘why’ working with people in custody. It plays to my strengths. Ingeus may be my employer, and a good one at that, but it’s the people in custody that I really work for. It’s not always easy but I’ve found my passion helping people to help themselves.”

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