News about Think Ahead’s future funding
We’re sad to share news that the Department of Health and Social Care has decided not to continue funding the Think Ahead programme for the 2026 Cohort and beyond. Our 2025 Cohort – due to start this summer – will go ahead as planned. We are extremely disappointed with this decision. The Think Ahead programme […]
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1 Nov / 21News
Become a mental health social worker
*Applications to join our programme are now closed but we will open for our 2023 intake this autumn. To receive updates about the programme, please sign up to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and twitter. We are facing one of the toughest mental health challenges of all time. If ever there was a […]
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19 Oct / 21
“This programme was life-changing”
This month, we marked the end of the two-year Think Ahead programme for the 2019 cohort of mental health social workers. We celebrated the milestone with an online event, reflecting on their achievements and celebrating their successes. Unlike previous years, the event was virtual. Over the last two years, the cohort have had to adapt […]
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17 Aug / 21News
2021 Cohort complete the Summer Institute
Our 2021 Cohort have passed the first milestone on their journey to becoming mental health social workers, having completed the Summer Institute. For the past four weeks, the 160 new trainees – our biggest intake to date – have been immersed in lectures, practical workshops and keynote talks with respected experts across the sector. Led […]
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18 Jun / 21News
Two new trustees join Think Ahead’s Board
We have been delighted to welcome two new additions to our Board of Trustees, Levi Chambers-Cook and Professor Kamaldeep Bhui. Levi completed the Think Ahead programme in 2018 and is the first member of our alumni network to sit on the Board of Trustees. Her frontline experience will bring an important perspective to the position, […]
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27 Apr / 21News
Meeting Minister for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety
The Minister of State for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety, Nadine Dorries MP, today joined us for a virtual meeting to learn about the invaluable contribution social work makes to mental health services. It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister of State today and show her the unique support mental health social […]
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26 Mar / 21News
Think Ahead’s first conference
We were delighted to be joined by over 350 delegates this week at our first ever conference, Think Ahead presents: Mental health social work in 2021. The event offered a rare opportunity to focus on the vital role frontline mental health social workers play in driving and responding to change. Our broad range of speakers brought a wealth of knowledge […]
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15 Mar / 21In the media
Think Ahead featured in the Financial Times
Think Ahead participant Iqra and our Strategy Director Matthew Brown have been featured in a Financial Times article exploring how the coronavirus pandemic has caused rising interest in public sector careers around the world. The article looks at mental health social work as an example of a public sector career which attracts many young people […]
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9 Mar / 21Expert insight
What is Social Work?
It is Social Work Week in England. A chance to celebrate the invaluable contribution social workers are making to people’s lives every day. But what does “social work” actually mean? There is no short answer. Or perhaps there is; it is about life and levelling the playing field of life. Enabling people to push past their […]
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9 Mar / 21In the media
Our voices should be key to developing and delivering services that support us
Caroline Butterwick, one of our lived experience partners, discusses how she uses her lived experience to make a difference in a piece for PosAbility Magazine. She explains: “For me, one of the unexpected benefits of service user involvement is the chance to take ownership of my narrative. “I get to tell my story in my […]
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18 Jan / 21News
How we’re responding to the coronavirus
This web page was last updated on 18 January 2021. We will continue to update the page whenever we have new information. We are monitoring the coronavirus situation, and the third national lockdown, closely, and are ensuring that our policies and plans are in line with the best available evidence and the government’s advice. Our […]
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11 Jan / 21In the media
Research by Think Ahead social worker finds that inpatients’ religious and cultural needs often go unmet
A member of our first intake, Kuldip Kaur Kang, has written about her research into inpatients’ religious and cultural needs for Community Care, a leading social work website. As part of her master’s degree on the Think Ahead programme, Kuldip explored whether people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds had their religious and […]
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16 Dec / 20News
Building an anti-racist Think Ahead – our progress and our future plans
Think Ahead’s CEO, Ella Joseph, provides an update on how we are embedding anti-racism in our work. At Think Ahead, we strive to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout all of our work – because we believe in social justice, and that all lives are equally precious, and we know that diversity of thought and […]