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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5 Jun / 20News
Black Lives Matter
Like many, many others, all of us at Think Ahead have been deeply distressed by the murder of George Floyd and the events that have followed it. We have been taking the time to reflect, listen, and learn before adding anything to the discussion. Racism is entrenched in our society and has a destructive impact […]
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7 May / 20In the media
“I am blown away by the speed and effectiveness of their immediate crisis response.” Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executive writes about Covid-19’s impact on mental health services
Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executive Ella Joseph has written about how mental health services are adapting to Covid-19, as well as predictions within the sector for its aftermath, in a piece for the NHS Confederation, the body that represents NHS member organisations. In the article, Ella shared insights gained through our Rapid Report, produced in response […]
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22 Apr / 20News
Rapid report: How mental health social workers are responding to the coronavirus pandemic
We have today published a new report about how mental health services, and the social workers within these teams, are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The report, which is based on a series of interviews, explains the challenges services and professionals are facing, and how mental health teams are transforming their work to provide the […]
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17 Mar / 20In the media
“I’ve always been interested in how masculinity affects men and their mental health” – Think Ahead participant writes for HuffPost UK
Men’s mental health, and the role that social workers play in helping them to address it, takes centre stage in an article written by a Think Ahead participant for the HuffPost UK. JJ, who is also an author and poet, began training as a mental health social worker with the Think Ahead programme in 2019. In this piece he discusses some […]
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12 Mar / 20In the media
“We need to make the case for the unique role that social workers can play” – Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executive speaks to social work magazine
Think Ahead’s Co-Chief Executive Ella Joseph has been featured in the latest edition of Professional Social Work, a magazine run by the British Association of Social Workers. In the article, Ella highlights the potential for social work to play an increasingly important role in mental health, while explaining that its value is still sometimes overlooked. […]
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6 Mar / 20In the media
Think Ahead participant shares findings of research into rising detentions under the Mental Health Act
One of Think Ahead’s alumni, Michael Bonnet, has written an article about his recently published research for Community Care, a leading social work news website. In his article, Michael explains that the research, which has been published in the British Journal of Social Work, sought to understand why detentions under the Mental Health Act have […]
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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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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 […]