Case Study

Made in Australia, thriving in the UK

23 Dec 2024

Ingeus is part of a global organisation, but its work is specialised, localised, and personalised. One size most definitely doesn’t fit all, which is why it advocates for and champions smaller organisations with the insight and experience at ground level. Here we look at the developing relationship it has with Pure Insights.

It was almost 21 years ago that Anastasia Massouras set up Pure Insights in Australia, offering counselling for people whose complex mental health needs were proving difficult barriers to finding work. Expanding to the UK, a meeting with the CEO of APM – part of the Ingeus family – led to a pilot project for jobseekers with health barriers in London. It was the start of a flourishing partnership.

“We began doing smaller contracts, but our relationship really started building when we were brought onboard to support the Work and Health Programme in London,” explains Annie McKerrow, Pure Insight’s UK National Manager.

“Over time we met and built relationships with other Ingeus teams and were offered the opportunity to provide counselling and coaching as part of the Restart Scheme in London and Greater Manchester. We’re a niche counselling service for the employability sector and were able to show evidence that our programmes not only reduced clients’ mental health barriers but also increased their employment prospects. Ingeus built trust in us and could see the benefits of our work, so suggested us to other areas of the business.”

The latest development in the partnership sees Pure Insights teams working with the Ingeus Justice division in the Midlands, supporting people who have been through the criminal justice system, looking to build new lives.

Annie adds: “Our experience has been that when trust grows with a partner Ingeus really champions and advocates for them. We are a small company, we don’t have a big business development team focused on completing tenders, so to build this relationship has been amazing – hugely beneficial to us.

“We had a long history in Australia but were new to the UK – Ingeus believed in what we did and they have been an important part of our journey here, particularly in the past three years.

“Most important of all, the relationship has allowed us to employ more counsellors which, in turn, means we can improve the lives of more people than would otherwise have been possible. That’s something we are really passionate about.”

If you’re a local services provider interested in supporting Ingeus’s mission to Enable Better Lives, find out more about working with us.