- 20 Dec / 21Features
Public commitment to becoming an anti-racist organisation
Background In December 2020, we made a public commitment to become an anti-racist organisation. We outlined how we would make progress in achieving this and pledged to update on our commitments annually. In 2020, we committed to the following: Recruiting more people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities into our graduate programme. Ensuring our […]
- 7 Oct / 21Features
My name is Matthew and I’m bipolar
My name is Matthew and I have bipolar type 2. That probably only means slightly less to you than it does to me. I don’t really like labels. They suggest there’s something concrete and tangible about my mental health that can be easily understood. I find my mental health really hard to understand so I can’t […]
- 26 Jul / 21Features
This is life with schizophrenia
Guy (pictured) trained to be a mental health social worker with Think Ahead. He shares this rare insight into living with schizophrenia with thanks to the people he’s worked with who were able to contribute. I am a social worker in a community mental health team supporting people with a chronic and enduring diagnosis of […]
- 27 Apr / 21News
Think Ahead trainees meet 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 […]
- 26 Mar / 21News
Think Ahead’s first conference – Mental health social work in 2021
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 […]
- 9 Mar / 21Features
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 […]
- 22 Feb / 21Features
“I saw that there was a demand for me to work in mental health” – Why we need more men in mental health social work
According to recent figures from Health Education England and a previous NHS Benchmarking Network/ADASS study, only 24% of mental health social workers in NHS Mental Health Trusts and 28% of those in Local Authorities are male. Meanwhile, 43% of respondents to the Care Quality Commission’s most recent survey of people using community mental health services […]
- 8 Feb / 21Features
“Actively challenge stigma and empower people” – a personal piece for LGBT+ History Month
Alec started his journey to transition at 18 and, having completed our graduate programme in 2018, now works with young people as a mental health social worker. Here he reflects on the unique perspective his life experiences bring to his work. We’re not often told anything positive about trans people in our day to day […]
- 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 […]
- 18 Nov / 20News
The frontline reality of mental health services during Covid – as featured in The Metro
With their support arguably needed now more than ever, mental health social workers are on the frontline in this pandemic. Like all of us, they’re doing what they can to limit face-to-face contact, but that’s not always possible when you’re working with someone who has a severe mental health problem. One of our past participants, Thea Radburn, wrote a piece for The Metro […]
- 11 Nov / 20In the media
“I love seeing people flourish, and wanted a career that would push me to keep challenging myself and learning” – Think Ahead alum tells Professional Social Work magazine
In this thoughtfully written piece, Think Ahead alum Mariah Wilde describes her humbling experience as a mental health social worker and the lessons she has learnt from the people she has worked with. With dignity and respect forming her guiding principles for mental health, Mariah firmly believes that people are experts on their own experience. […]
- 20 Oct / 20News
“This profession is about making a difference and each and every one of you has done that”- Think Ahead’s 2018 Cohort join our alumni network
We were delighted to welcome another cohort of participants into our alumni network at a virtual ceremony on Monday 19 October. After spending the last two years training and working as mental health social workers, participants from our 2018 Cohort looked back on their experiences, as they became members of Think Ahead’s alumni network, joining […]
