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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21 Jun / 18News
Think Ahead announces Middlesex University as new academic partner
Following our recent call for applications from academic institutions, we are pleased to announce that we are working with Middlesex University on a plan for them to deliver the academic elements of the Think Ahead programme for our intakes in 2019 and 2020. We received very strong proposals from a range of institutions, demonstrating the […]
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21 May / 18News
“It’s such a privilege when people open up to you” – participants share their experiences with new Think Ahead recruits
The launch event for Think Ahead’s third intake took place on Saturday (19 May). New recruits, who will begin the programme in July this year, came together for the first time to learn more about the role of a mental health social worker, and to start preparing for the programme. The day featured a number […]
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20 Mar / 18In the media
“Social issues can have a massive impact on a person’s mental health and recovery” – Think Ahead mental health social workers speak to Community Care
A Think Ahead participant and a Consultant Social Worker have told Community Care, a leading social work news website, why social approaches are so important in mental health care. As a Consultant Social Worker at the London Borough of Bexley, Nicola Shawyer manages a unit of four participants on their first year of the programme. […]
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20 Mar / 18In the media
Celebrating mental health social workers on World Social Work Day
On World Social Work Day (Tuesday 20 March) social workers come together to celebrate the profession’s achievements. To mark this event, Think Ahead is highlighting the valuable contribution mental health social workers make – and the impact that social approaches to mental health have on people’s lives. Think Ahead participants have been profiled in the […]
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20 Mar / 18In the media
“Being supported in the community can help to remove the stigma around mental illness” – Think Ahead participant Thea writes in the Independent
Think Ahead participant Thea Radburn has written in the Independent’s comment section, Independent Voices, about the importance of social approaches in treating mental illness, and what her job as a mental health social worker involves in practice. Thea, who started the Think Ahead programme in 2016, says that while therapies, medication and inpatient care can be […]
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20 Mar / 18In the media
“I love the feeling I get when I know I’ve helped someone” – a Think Ahead participant describes a typical week in the life of a mental health social worker
Sonya Chee, a Think Ahead social worker, described her typical working week to The Metro newspaper. Sonya is a qualified social worker and is based in an early intervention in psychosis team in East London NHS Foundation Trust. In the piece, she shares ways in which she’s supported people, one of whom is Rachel. Rachel […]
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19 Mar / 18In the media
“It is rewarding when you help someone recover” – trainee experiences
Three of our participants – Suzanne, Arnold and Jan – have been included in a promotional feature in the Evening Standard, talking about what drew them to the Think Ahead programme, and how they’re finding their roles. Suzanne Suzanne, 29, studied Law at the University of Cambridge, and embarked on a legal career – but […]
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27 Feb / 18In the media
“My days are busy but I’m lucky to really love my job” – Think Ahead participant Zoe describes her typical working day
Think Ahead participant Zoe Rice-Jones has written an article for Blueprint, a Cambridge-based magazine about mental health, describing the work she does training to become a mental health social worker. Zoe is training and working in a local community mental health team made up of social workers, nurses, doctors and psychologists who collectively support 700 […]
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13 Dec / 17In the media
“Exciting, a little bit scary” – participants catch up with Radio 4 about their Think Ahead journey
A year ago BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind began a series of interviews with two members of Think Ahead’s 2016 intake – Charlotte Seymour and Alec Tooms. At that point Charlotte and Alec were at the beginning of their journey into mental health social work; a year on they are over half way […]
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23 Nov / 17News
“The participants have been a brilliant addition” – managers share their views on partnering with Think Ahead
At Think Ahead we are committed to evaluating our impact, to understand both how well we are doing and how we can be even better. We’ve commissioned an independent evaluation of our programme, and we’ve set up internal processes to regularly gather information and opinions from people involved with Think Ahead. We can now share […]
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15 Nov / 17News
A week in the shoes of a mental health social worker
We asked experienced mental health social workers what a typical week looks like. Here’s what they told us… Monday Spent morning preparing for meeting with Aleisha – a new referral from a GP – checking notes and establishing objectives. Then met her – some challenges establishing rapport, but ultimately it went well. Afternoon – met […]
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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 […]