Calling for investment in the mental health workforce
Ahead of next year’s General Election, we have published our first Think Ahead manifesto for urgent transformation of the mental health workforce. Workforce Matters: A Manifesto, shares the often challenging reality of life on the frontline and impact the ongoing workforce crisis is having on people’s care. Developed with mental health practitioners across the NHS […]
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10 Feb / 20In the media
“Mental health has risen up the political agenda, but there is still further to go”
Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executive Ella Joseph has written on the PoliticsHome website – a leading source of political news and comment – about her hopes for developments in attitudes and approaches to mental health over the next decade. In Ella’s piece, she talks about how the past decade has been transformational in the way people […]
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24 Jan / 20News
“We’ve been given the best start into the best career” – 2017 participants celebrate successful completion of the Think Ahead programme
Our 2017 Cohort celebrated completing the Think Ahead programme and joining our alumni network at an event in York yesterday. The participants joined the Think Ahead programme in the summer of 2017 and have since spent two years training and working as mental health social workers, while achieving a postgraduate diploma, and subsequently a master’s […]
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2 Jan / 20In the media
“We need to redefine what manhood means” – Think Ahead participant writes for The Guardian
A Think Ahead participant from our latest intake has written about the concept of masculinity, and how it affects men’s mental and physical health, in The Guardian. In his article JJ, who joined the Think Ahead programme last year, explains how what he terms “toxic hyper-masculinity” – the emphasis on needing to be strong and […]
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5 Dec / 19News
Think Ahead alum wins Mental Health Social Worker of the Year award
One of Think Ahead’s alumni, Thea Radburn, has been honoured as “Mental Health Social Worker of the Year” at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2019. Thea (pictured above, right, alongside Ingrid Richardson who won the Silver award in the same category) was a member of Think Ahead’s first cohort and completed the programme […]
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29 Oct / 19In the media
“I’m using my experiences to help other people with mental health problems” – Think Ahead participant shares her experience as a care-leaver with the BBC
This story was amended on 1 November to add that Kerry was also interviewed on BBC Radio Manchester, and on 19 November to add that she was featured in an article on the BBC’s website. Think Ahead participant Kerry (pictured above) has been interviewed by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Manchester, as well […]
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10 Oct / 19Features
“I believe social workers have a huge and beneficial impact on the lives of people with mental health problems”
Think Ahead is marking this year’s World Mental Health Day by sharing the stories of two budding social workers, who joined the Think Ahead programme this year, and are passionate about addressing the UK’s mental health challenge. Mo Rahman and Hannah Morris have already joined hundreds of their fellow Think Ahead participants out in the […]
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1 Oct / 19In the media
“I wanted to work on an issue that I felt strongly about” – Our Co-Chief Executives share why they set up Think Ahead
Our Co-Chief Executives Ella Joseph and Natalie Acton, who jointly set up Think Ahead in 2014 and have since run the organisation together, have shared why they left behind a career in the civil service to set up Think Ahead. “I wanted to work on an issue that I felt strongly about – which for […]
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25 Sep / 19News
Think Ahead placed at number 36 in Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list
We are pleased to announce that Think Ahead is featured at number 36 in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list. It’s the third year running that our programme is included, and our position has improved by six places from the 2018 list, up from number 42. The list, which was published today, was created […]
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25 Sep / 19News
Applications now open to join the Think Ahead programme in 2020
Update: Applications to join the Think Ahead programme in 2020 are now closed. We are delighted to announce that applications to join Think Ahead in 2020 are now open. Think Ahead is looking for talented graduates and career-changers who are remarkable enough to make a real difference in tackling the UK’s mental health challenge. Our […]
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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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20 May / 19News
“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 […]