“Social work has the power to transform people’s lives” – Chair of Health Education England welcomes new participants
The chair of Health Education England – the body that coordinates the education and training of England’s health workforce – has welcomed our new intake of participants, who are starting the Think Ahead programme in July. Delivering the keynote speech at this year’s Cohort Launch Event on Saturday, Sir David Behan, who is a former social […]
- 30 Apr / 19News
Independent evaluation of the Think Ahead programme draws positive conclusions
Durham University and the University of Bristol have today published their independent evaluation of the Think Ahead programme, containing a raft of positive findings and concluding that the programme is “worthy of continued support and further development”. The evaluation followed the first cohort of Think Ahead participants, who completed our two-year programme in September 2018, […]
- 24 Apr / 19In the media
“He’s optimistic about his future and so am I. It’s moments like this that make it all worthwhile.” – Participant shares a week in his life with the Guardian
Think Ahead participant Benji has shared the details of a week in his job, for the Guardian’s “My working week” series. In the article Benji, who is a qualified social worker currently in his second year on the Think Ahead programme, talks about how he supports adults with mental health problems to work towards recovery. […]
- 12 Apr / 19In the media
“You learn a lot about yourself and your own strengths” – Think Ahead participant tells Radio Essex about her journey
Think Ahead participant Georgie has spoken about her experience on the programme, and the career options open to mental health social workers, on Radio Essex. In the interview Georgie explained how she initially came to train as a mental health social worker. “I definitely knew that I wanted to work in mental health, but I […]
- 11 Apr / 19News
“It has strengthened social work’s role in community mental health team transformation” – Impact Update 2019 published
Our first cohort of participants, who joined Think Ahead in 2016, completed the programme in September 2018. [Partnering with Think Ahead has] made the Board more aware of social work, heightened the profile of social work, and strengthened social work’s role in community mental health team transformation. Service manager from 2018 partner organisation Six months […]
- 9 Apr / 19In the media
“It’s very varied, no two days are the same. You’ve got to be prepared for that challenge.” – Think Ahead participant shares her experience with BBC Radio Somerset
Think Ahead participant Anna-Clare (pictured above) has been interviewed by BBC Radio Somerset about what made her choose to work in mental health, and what her role as a mental health social worker is like. Anna-Clare joined the Think Ahead programme in 2017, and is now a newly qualified social worker working in Somerset. Before […]
- 13 Feb / 19Features
“There’s nothing like seeing the participants change lives under your guidance”
A Think Ahead Consultant Social Worker (an experienced social worker supervising four of our participants) has shared a week’s diary with Community Care, the leading social care news website. The Consultant Social Worker – who chose to remain anonymous in order to protect the identity of service users – describes her working week supervising four […]
- 7 Feb / 19Features
“Sometimes you have to do a bit of paperwork to give someone freedom” – Think Ahead participant writes for Community Care
A Think Ahead participant has written a piece for Community Care, the leading social care news website, explaining why his attitude to paperwork changed drastically after seeing the difference it can make to a person’s life. The participant – who chose not to be identified to protect service users’ anonymity – is in his first […]
- 12 Dec / 18News
FILM: “It’s everything I want to do in my future career” – Participants share their learnings from the Think Ahead Summer Institute
Each year our new intake of around 100 aspiring mental health social workers start their journey at a six-week residential – the Think Ahead Summer Institute. It’s a great opportunity for them to get to know each other and learn the basics of mental health social work in an exciting and supportive environment, before taking […]
- 5 Dec / 18News
Think Ahead announces new chair for its Service User and Carer Reference Group
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Oliver Wood as the new independent chair of our Service User and Carer Reference Group. Our Service User and Carer Reference Group is a key part of the Think Ahead programme – it was established in 2014, and its aim is to ensure that the needs of […]
- 26 Nov / 18News
Minister meets Think Ahead participants
The Minister of State for Care, Caroline Dinenage MP, today visited Think Ahead participants working as mental health social workers. The Minister was able to hear first-hand about the impact of social work in mental health services, and the difference our participants are making in their work with people with severe and enduring mental health […]
- 10 Oct / 18Features
“Benji has encouraged me to focus on my future and my goals. He’s re-ignited the fire I had” – Benji and Richard’s story
This World Mental Health Day, we want to highlight the vital role that social workers play in supporting people with mental health problems. Social issues such as problems with relationships, living arrangements and employment have profound effects on mental wellbeing, and social workers are uniquely able to help people to address the social factors in […]
- 9 Oct / 18In the media
“I wanted to change career to a role working with vulnerable people” – Think Ahead featured in the Evening Standard
Think Ahead participant Levi (pictured above) has been interviewed in the Evening Standard newspaper about why she chose to train to be a mental health social worker. 24-year-old Levi joined the Think Ahead programme in 2016, and is now one of our alumni. Before joining the programme she worked in recruitment for a pharmaceutical company. […]