About Us

At Think Ahead, we want to see a society where everyone with mental health problems can flourish. We know that won’t happen unless people can improve their social circumstances – because issues like relationships, living arrangements and employment have profound effects on mental well-being. We created the Think Ahead programme: a new route into mental health social work for talented graduates and career-changers. It has become one of the country’s most competitive graduate schemes, with high-profile support across the political spectrum, extensive media coverage, and around 30 applications for each place on the programme. Our vision: That everyone with a mental health problem can flourish. We believe: To ensure people with mental health problems can flourish, the workforce who support them must also be flourishing. Our approach: People with mental health problems need a response that seeks to understand and can support social factors in their lives, from employment to relationships to housing. That is why we advocate for a social approach to mental health provision. Our mission: We recruit, train, and develop the mental health workforce to provide the most effective support to people with mental health problems. Think Ahead’s values We expect all our staff to put our values at the heart of everything they do by demonstrating the behaviours listed below. • Inspirational – we set ambitious goals, and we attract and lead others to achieve our vision. • Inclusive – we respect everyone, build networks, and act in partnership. • Genuine – we are honest with others, we seek feedback, and we reflect on ourselves. • Determined – we stay on course, we set the right pace, and we don’t give up. • Effective – we use evidence and innovation to find what works and get things done.