Our Service Manager Ang Purvis shared with us a bit more about her time working across our Recovery services, Criminal Justice services and Employment services before heading up our Employment Team.
Tell us a bit about yourself – your hobbies and interests etc.
I love reading, especially Dystopian Fiction. Prior to working at Changing Lives, I worked in a Library for 15 years so I had access to all the books I could wish for.
I’m an archer and part of an Archery club.
When I’m not at work I love going for walks on as many different beaches as possible and searching for fossils and sea glass.
How long have you worked at Changing Lives, and what roles have you had in your time? Tell us a bit more about your roles.
I have worked for Changing Lives since September 2014.
I started as an Employment Coach based within North Tyneside Recovery Partnership, supporting NTRP clients to move closer to and into paid employment. While working in this role I completed my Team Leader qualification and took the lead on the Employment Team work placement programme, to utilise the skills I had learned during my qualification.
Late 2018, an opportunity came up for a Senior Employment Coach role within the Women's Returners project. I was successful at interview and started January 2019. The project supported women who had been out of work for a period of time caring (children or family members). This was my first management role within Changing Lives, including line management of a financial inclusion worker also working on the Womens Returners project and an additional financial inclusion worker who was external to that project supporting people in our North East supported accommodation.
As the funding was coming to an end for the Womens Returners project, the Employment Team received funding for another project working within 5 Male estate prisons in the North East delivering IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance Services.) The project interested me so I applied. Again I was successful at interview, the project started around September 2019.
As Team Leader for the IAG service, I line managed 7 staff across 2 prisons (HMP Durham and HMP Northumberland). This was a very different role to anything I had done previously, particularly with having more staff to line manage and working in a very different environment. We worked in partnership with 2 other organisations to run Careers Centres based in the prisons, supporting the prisoners while they were serving their sentences to become work ready for release.
Early 2020, the Covid pandemic hit and all civilian services were excluded from the prison. During this time, we created workbooks for the men to work on while locked in their cells 23 hours per day.
Also in early 2020, another opportunity came up within the Employment Team. This was another Team Leader role but based within Tees Valley as part of Step Forward Tees Valley. I had previously engaged with the SFTV team and admired their way of working. I applied for the role and was successful. I took over line management of the project and their 8-person staff team including claims and compliance worker, employer engagement staff, volunteer coordinators and trainers. The team supported people with health barriers to move closer to and into paid employment.
In 2021, the Employment Team received joint funding from European Social Fund and North Tyne Combined Authority for a new project, Get Ahead. I applied for the Team Leader role as I wanted to help set up a new project as this was something I hadn’t previously done. I started as Team Leader for Get Ahead in April 2021. The project included a claims and compliance worker, a financial inclusion worker and 3 employment coaches. The project supported people with barriers to employment, including: history of addiction, at risk / history of homelessness and victims of DV. I was involved in all aspects of setting up and delivering the project.
Early 2022 I was informed my Service Manager, Val Chybowski, was leaving Changing Lives, I was shocked as she had been my mentor since day 1. She helped me grow from a quiet Employment Coach with very little to say in meetings, to a Team Leader of numerous projects over my career with a lot to say for the people we support and my staff team.
Again, I got writing my application form, I wanted this role more than any other as I wanted to continue the work of the Employment Team the way I had been shown by the best service manager I’ve ever had.
I was thankfully successful and have been in post of Employment Team Service Manager since April 2022. I have the pleasure of overseeing projects in the North East, Tees Valley and Yorkshire. Currently we have 9 projects covering Employability, Financial Inclusion and Training.
What does your newest role entail?
I have the pleasure of overseeing our projects in the North East, Tees Valley and Yorkshire. Currently we have 9 projects covering Employability, Financial Inclusion and Training.
I work closely with our bids team to seek out future funding. I work with finance to make sure all financial claims are completed. I'm in regular contact with all of our partners on our projects, monitoring budgets, outcomes and next steps.
How does your role differ from your former role(s) now you hold more responsibility?
Over the years, each new role as come with more responsibility but it has also given me more confidence.
How do you feel you had to develop professionally (and personally) in order to secure your role?
I feel the management I have had while working at Changing Lives has allowed me to develop and grow into the manager I am today. Without the support of my managers I feel I would not have pushed myself to seek out new opportunities to train and progress.
