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10 Jul / 23News
2023 cohort begin their training journey
A new programme has begun for our latest group of trainees. The 2023 Cohort kicked off their training journey with a day of introduction talks and teaching at the 2023 Summer Institute. This is our eighth cohort and we’re proud to have welcomed close to 1,000 trainee mental health social workers since we began in […]
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11 Jul / 22News
It’s a “wonderful profession” – our seventh intake of trainee mental health social workers get started
Our 2022 Cohort have begun their training to become mental health social workers, kicking off their journey with a day of welcome talks and teaching at the first day of our Summer Institute. This is our seventh cohort to join the programme, meaning that we have taken on 823 trainee social workers since our first […]
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17 Aug / 21News
“Human rights and community-based care – that’s where you are experts” – 2021 intake completes 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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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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23 Aug / 19News
“You’re coming to a space where there’s a new sense of optimism” – Summer Institute 2019 comes to an end
Participants in our 2019 Cohort have completed their six-week Summer Institute today, and are ready to embark on the next part of their journeys to become mental health social workers. The six weeks of residential training was delivered in partnership with Middlesex University, who are the academic partner for the Think Ahead programme, and took […]
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19 Jul / 19News
Film: “You are embarking on something immensely valuable” – Rt Hon Sir Norman Lamb MP addresses the new cohort of Think Ahead participants
As the first week of Think Ahead’s 2019 Summer Institute is drawing to a close, the 106 participants in our fourth cohort will have a chance to reflect on the new knowledge and skills they have gained so far, as well as the advice they have been given in sessions with Rt Hon Sir Norman […]
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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 […]
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20 Jul / 18News
“Lift your head up and see how you can make wider changes” – New participants embark on their journey
This week marked the beginning of an exciting time for Think Ahead and the 103 participants in our third intake as they embarked on their two-year journey to become mental health social workers. Participants are today completing the first week of the Summer Institute, a six-week residential learning experience which gives them a grounding in […]
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30 Oct / 17News
FILM: “It feels like a movement more than just an organisation” – graduates tell us why they joined Think Ahead
One of the benefits of gaining a place on the Think Ahead programme is that you join a diverse group of graduates and career-changers with a wide range of different ideas, but who are all motivated by a unifying goal: to see a society where everyone with mental health problems can flourish. Each year we […]
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1 Sep / 16Expert insight
“It’s really given me confidence”: A participant’s reflections on the Summer Institute
This Monday Think Ahead participants will join community mental health teams across the country to begin their on-the-job training as social workers. Here, Jenni Wingrove, a participant who will start training in Luton, shares her reflections on how she’s feeling ahead of starting the role, and the best bits of the six-week Summer Institute. Why […]
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30 Aug / 16Expert insight
“Sharing our experiences in order to do something positive” – Summer Institute 2016 comes to an end
Today Think Ahead’s inaugural Summer Institute ends. Our first cohort of participants are readying themselves to move into community mental health teams for 12 months of on-the-job learning starting in September, and this week’s teaching has included a focus on preparing for entering the workplace. My favourite thing about the Summer Institute has been bringing […]
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19 Aug / 16Expert insight
Ensuring social work perspectives are valued: week five at the Summer Institute
It’s the penultimate week at the Summer Institute, and communication has played a big part in this week’s learning. Communication skills are hugely important for social workers in many elements of their job. Of course, being able to build relationships with service users is crucial – as Frances Turner, an experienced mental health social worker […]
