Case Study

Single mother Agnieszka, known as Aga, was in the grip of long-term depression when she was referred to Ingeus for help. The 44-year-old, who moved to the UK from Poland, had worked in catering for 10 years but found it exacerbated her mental health problems. She was also going through a family bereavement, struggling to cope so far away from home. 

 

Aga was referred by Oldham Jobcentre Plus to the Ingeus Working Well (Work and Health Programme). Commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the programme provides tailored support to long-term unemployed jobseekers with disabilities and health conditions. At the time of her referral, Aga was volunteering for a local discount food provider, supporting families in financial strife. This gave her a sense of purpose and eagerness to find a new career path to combat her depression.  

 

Aga was introduced to the Ingeus health team; she joined confidence-building workshops, a mindfulness session, and was given wellbeing advice. Aga’s keyworker also assisted her in updating her CV, while a Better Off calculation demonstrated how much better off she would be in paid employment.  

 

Utilising local employer connections, Ingeus was then able to match Aga up with the perfect vacancy: a volunteering officer at local charity Action Together. After tailoring her job application to perfectly match the job description, Aga was given interview preparation guidance and was referred to Oldham Working Wardrobe for support with new work clothes. After starting her job, Ingeus kept in touch to ensure everything was going smoothly.  

 

Supporting jobseekers in Oldham to access volunteering opportunities, Aga is now loving her new role, which was created and funded via the Oldham Poverty Action Network. It has given her a new-found confidence and reduced her depression:  

 

“Working Well turned out to be the best possible place to go,” she says, “I had plenty of support from many people. It changed my life. It was a place where people believed in me more than I did. Sometimes it is still hard for me to believe where I am now. I could not ask for a better change. I am a happy person who lives a better, healthier and happier life.”  

Josie Bades, volunteering development co-ordinator with Action Together, says: “It has been a privilege to welcome Aga into Action Together Oldham’s volunteering team; to see her grow and become an important part of our team. Aga’s own journey has provided her with a real understanding of the benefits of volunteering, something that she draws upon in her one-to-one work. She builds supportive relationships to identify clients’ skills, interests, and ambitions, and to explore ways that volunteering can help achieve these."