BBC features Think Ahead’s future plans

Think Ahead has been featured across the BBC today, with our Joint Chief Executive Natalie Acton appearing on BBC Breakfast television, BBC Radio 5 Live, and BBC West Midlands.

BBC Breakfast also included interviews with Jack Buckler, who is set to join the Think Ahead programme this summer, and Lee Brookes, who has used his lived experience of mental health problems to support our work.

Watch the BBC Breakfast piece with Jack and Lee here.

Listen to Natalie on BBC Radio 5 here.

The BBC coverage reflects that the Department of Health has today publicly confirmed an additional £10m in funding to support our 2017 and 2018 cohorts.

One in three families now include someone with a mental health problem, deeply affecting both their own lives and their wider communities. We will now be able to train hundreds more graduates and career changers in mental health social work who will provide support to thousands of people.

Alistair Burt, Minister for Community and Social Care, said: “Mental health social work is highly skilled, complex work – and this is a great initiative to attract the brightest and best into the profession. Our £10 million funding will spark rewarding careers and mean thousands of people are better supported to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.”

The Think Ahead programme has so far proved popular with graduates, with over 2300 people applying for up to 100 places on our first cohort, who begin the programme this July.

Natalie Acton, Think Ahead’s Joint Chief Executive, said today: “Today’s announcement is fantastic news as it means we can treble the number of talented individuals training as mental health social workers through Think Ahead. I really encourage any graduate with the right blend of empathy, intelligence, resilience, and commitment to apply to Think Ahead this autumn.”