An invitation topartner with us tostrengthen your mentalhealth workforce

Sonya, trained with Think Ahead afterstudying Psychology and Neuroscienceat Manchester. Now in a permanent rolein the service where she trained.

he future of mentalhealth services isholistic care thatintegrates socialinterventions alongside

medical and psychological treatment.Helping people to manage their lives,and build their own support networks,enables them to live more safely andhappily in the community. Thismaximises their chances of reachingsustainable recovery, and reducespressure on inpatient services.

Achieving this approach requires aflexible workforce with the right talentsand training. Mental health teams needprofessionals who can understand andinfluence the social factors affectingservice users, working across thecommunity and providing joined-upcare.

Think Ahead is a charity that partnerswith NHS Trusts and Local Authorities tostrengthen their mental health teams.Our free programme, funded by theDepartment of Health and Social Care,supplies a service provider with talentedrecruits, gives them and existing staffadvanced training in social interventions,and supports the organisation tointegrate these approaches across theirservices.

Trained as mental health social workers,our recruits can take on a wide range ofroles within teams. As professionallyregulated staff, they can fill practitionerroles alongside nurses and occupationaltherapists, including acting as CareCoordinators. They also bring specialexpertise in social interventions, workingwith service users’ families andcommunities, supporting people in crisis,and the application of mental healthlegislation.

Our programme supports yourworkforce to develop and spread theirskills. Our recruits, and the existing staffwho supervise them, receive training incatalysing and leading change withinservices. We choose recruits andsupervisors who are able to make a widerimpact right away, spreading bestpractice across teams, and have thepotential to become leaders – in practice,research, and service management.

We have worked successfully with morethan 50% of England’s NHS MentalHealth Trusts, and 30% of LocalAuthorities. In a recent survey of our firstset of partners, every respondentrecommended working with us.

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It is vitally important that we have professionals in mental health services whocan help people make a sustainable recovery, working from an understanding of theindividual, family and community aspects of mental health. I believe that the ThinkAhead programme supports exactly this capability, bridging the gaps in the currenthealth and social care workforce.

John Short, Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull NHS Mental Health Trust.

We want to further expand ournetwork of partners, and we hopeyou will consider working with us.

This document explains:

How the programme works 02

The benefits of partnering:n Receive talented new staff 04

n Upskill your workforce 06

n Support service improvements 08

What partners have to provide 10

How to start a partnership 12

Aisha, trained with Think Aheadin Hackney after leaving theprivate sector to “do somethingmeaningful”. Now in a permanentrole in the same service.

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How the programme worksUnits formSeptember

Training year

n Unit is embedded inyour communitymental health service,full-time except for amaximum of 24teaching days.

n Unit takes a caseload:participants do directwork with serviceusers, with cases heldby Consultant SocialWorkers.

n Unit’s caseload growsduring the year,averaging 21 caseshalf-way through theyear, and 35 casesduring the second halfof the year.

We recruit as many talentednew entrants (“participants”)as you want, in “units” of four.

You select an experiencedsocial worker to lead eachunit as their full-timeConsultant Social Worker.

In total, we pay you £32k per unit (£38k in London).02

Summer InstituteJuly / August

Six weeks’ learning covering mental health,social interventions, law,

and leadership.

Consultant Social Worker training

Around six days’ training in social interventions,

leadership, and practiceeducation.

FebruaryWe pay you £4k per unit

to cover costs.

SeptemberWe pay you £14k per unit (£18k in London)

to cover costs.

MarchWe pay you £14k per unit (£16k in London)

to cover costs.

Participants qualify and units disperseSeptember (thefollowing year)

n Participants gainPostgraduate Diplomaand register as socialworkers.

n They become youremployees.

n Consultant SocialWorkers can pick upanother unit from thenext cohort, or moveto another role.

Qualified year

n You place participantsindividually into anyrole in adult servicesthat requires aqualified mental healthpractitioner.

n They work full-timeexcept for a maximumof eight teaching days.

n You employ them on aminimum 12-monthcontract. You can offerlonger / permanentcontracts if you wish.

n They undergo theAssessed andSupported Year inEmploymentprogramme for newlyqualified social workers.

Participants get an MA,and complete the ThinkAhead programmeSeptember (thefollowing year)

n Participants get an MAin social work practice.

Participants continuetheir career with you

n If they’ve had apositive experiencethey are likely to wantto stay with yourorganisation.

n They will be well-placed in time tobecome practiceleaders (including asApproved MentalHealth Professionals)or move into servicemanagement.

n You are under noobligation to employany participant beyondthe contract periodyou chose at the startof the qualified year.

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Qualifications are awarded by Middlesex University.

The calibre of Think Ahead participants is very good and we’re really excited about next year’s cohort: they’re bringing a combination of academic and life skills to the role.

Simon Owens, Consultant Social Worker leading a Think Ahead training unit in Durham.

The benefits of partnering:

Receive talented new staff

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23 candidates apply foreach place on theprogramme.

Think Ahead is one ofthe Times Top 100Graduate Employers.

Minimum eligibilitycriteria include a 2:1 undergraduatedegree.

Three-stage selection processinvolving social workers andservice users – tests sevenattributes including adaptability,relationship-building, and self-awareness.

The Think Ahead programme is one of the most competitive graduate schemes in the country,attracting high-potential individuals who are committed to supporting vulnerable people.

I worked in the City as a head hunter for banks but I didn’tfind this fulfilling. My second job was working with young peoplewith learning difficulties, which I really enjoyed. While I was there, I met a social worker who I found really inspiring. What makes thisprogramme stand out is that you are training with like-mindedpeople who all want to achieve the same goals.

Jan, Think Ahead participant. Studied Ancient History at King’s College London.

My interest in mental health partly comes from my personal family experience. My mother had severe mental healthproblems and, by supporting her through that, I saw first-hand how positive relationships can help. I am definitely planning to stay in this sector in future.

Eleanor, Think Ahead participant. Studied Psychology at Durham.

After almost two years practising law, I realised that it wasn’t the right career for me. I wanted to find a job where I could build relationships with individuals and make a real differenceto their lives on a daily basis. In my opinion, mental health socialwork is like the missing piece of the treatment puzzle.

Suzanne, Think Ahead participant. Studied Law at Cambridge.

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The benefits of partnering:

Upskill your workforceBoth the new recruits and the existing staff who become their Consultant Social Workers getadvanced training to improve service effectiveness.

Participants also get: Consultant Social Workers also get:

Both the participants and the Consultant Social Workers get:

n A Postgraduate Diploma and a Master’s degree inSocial Work from Middlesex University.

n Preparation for AMHP training: the curriculumgives the new recruits a full understanding ofmental health policy and legislation, in theory andpractice.

n A Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Social Work from Middlesex University.

n Practice Educator Stages 1 and 2.

n A unique career development opportunity withinyour organisation, giving experience in managementand supervision while maintaining involvement infrontline work.

n Tools to improve outcomes: The curriculum draws oninternational best practice, focusing on social interventionsknown to improve outcomes for mental health serviceusers.

n Focus on long-term recovery: We teach interventions at theindividual, family, and community levels, that can enableservice users to build their own support systems.

n Training in social interventions such as:

– Motivational Interviewing. – Systemic Family Approaches. – The Connecting People intervention.

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hen I took up therole as a ThinkAhead ConsultantSocial Worker, I hadbeen qualified for

about four years and had just donemy AMHP training. I was working as acare coordinator in a communitymental health team.

The opportunity was perfect for mebecause I wanted to get involved ineducating new social workers, and Ireally wanted to do it within this Trust– I entered the profession here, and Ifeel like this is where I’ve grown upprofessionally. Without Think Ahead,it would have taken me much longerto qualify as a Practice Educator andthere would have been no guaranteethat I’d get my first student quickly.

It’s been a steep learning curve, butit’s a great role. There is a goodbalance of mentoring the participantsand doing direct work with the caseswe share, so I haven’t lost touch withthe frontline – plus I’m still on theAMHP rota.

The training in modern socialinterventions is excellent and has made me aware of the latest techniques. When you’re“firefighting” it can be easy to get into a state where you’re justmonitoring service users and

reacting, but this role has remindedme of the value of planning andimplementing structuredinterventions – which can be moreeffective and actually save timeoverall. That’s an approach I’lldefinitely take with me into future roles.

As part of the role I’ve got involvedwith discussions about social workacross the Trust, and it’s an excitingtime as Think Ahead is part of a move to promote social interventionsmore widely within the organisation.I want to continue contributing tothat, so I’m keen to do another year as a Think Ahead Consultant SocialWorker and then find another social-work-focused role here.

I would recommend being aConsultant Social Worker to anyone.It’s been a great chance to developmy skills and influence a whole newbunch of social workers who will goon within the Trust and help to takeforward the improvements we’vestarted together.

It’s been agreat chance todevelop my skillsand influence awhole new bunchof social workers.

Kate Johnson, Consultant Social Worker who led two Think Ahead training units in Hertfordshire.

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The benefits of partnering:

Support service improvementThe Think Ahead units act as catalysts for maximising the contribution of social work to yourservices, and being part of the Think Ahead network puts you at the forefront of best practice.

Dr Lynn Prendergast, Associate Director for Social Care, Essex Partnership NHS Trust.

Think Ahead has completely reaffirmedthe positive impact social work can have onthe delivery of specialist mental healthservices. The participant unit has been like a breath of fresh air arriving into a very busymulti-disciplinary team. They have beenembraced by professionals who havecommented that the enthusiasm and talent of the participants has raised the profile ofsocial work across the organisation.

Malgosia Eaden, Consultant Social Worker in Hackney.

After each training day, ourparticipants will come back with new ideas,and share these with other team members inforums and clinical case discussions. They’rebringing a whole new perspective throughsocial interventions.

Profile raising

Bringing Think Ahead units into your organisation emphasisesthe importance of social work and community-based,preventative approaches.

Knowledge sharing

The participants and Consultant Social Workers can share the new techniques they are learning with their colleagues.

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Dr Jane Shears, Former Head of Social Work, St Andrew’s Healthcare.

Being part of Think Ahead has helped us to incorporate great ideas from across thecountry into how we train and support oursocial workers to deliver best practice.

John Short, Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull NHS Mental Health Trust.

Having met the Think Ahead students, I believe we’ll create a number of futureleaders in mental health, who can help givethe profession a bright future. I say this as achief executive who still uses his social workskills every day.

Networking

Partners are invited to regular Think Ahead network events,providing opportunities to keep abreast of new developmentsand share best practice.

Leadership

The participants and social workers get training in leadershipskills, delivered in partnership with NHS Horizons, so that theycan spread best practice right away and in time take onleadership positions.

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What partners have to provideWe will ask you to sign a delivery agreement ensuring that you will:

n Recruit and release staff to beConsultant Social Workers. Each unitrequires a full-time Consultant SocialWorker throughout the year. You areresponsible for appointing yourConsultant Social Workers, withsupport from us, usually by secondingexisting staff into the role (typically witha salary enhancement in line with thestandard Practice Educator honorarium).They need to be released from theirprevious role for around six days’training beforehand, then move to thenew role full-time from September.While in the Consultant Social Workerrole, they can do AMHP duty for amaximum of one day per week. You alsoneed to appoint at least one reserve tostep in if a Consultant Social Worker hasto step away from the role for asignificant period; the reserveundergoes the training but remains intheir current role unless needed.

n Place the participant units in the rightsetting. Each unit must sit within anadult community mental health service,with involvement in multi-disciplinaryworking. A unit’s participants must be inthe same team and location as theirConsultant Social Worker.

n Give the participants the support theyneed. The participants will be with theorganisation full-time and doing usefulwork. They will need the usual workingfacilities – such as desks, phones,computers, and access to IT systems –and practical support such as inductionsand expenses. They will also need tofeel supported within the organisation,surrounded by colleagues whounderstand and welcome their role.

n Give the participants the opportunitiesthey need to learn. Participants need towork on more and more complex casesthrough the year, building up to workingon 7-12 cases each. These cases need togive them opportunities to practise thesocial interventions in the curriculum.To ensure this, Consultant SocialWorkers must have some control overwhich cases are allocated to their units,and must personally hold the majorityof these cases.

n Arrange the Contrasting LearningExperience. To broaden theirexperience, during the year eachparticipant must leave their unit for 30days to do direct work with children andfamilies. You are responsible forarranging this with your local partners.

Across the programme:

n Commit to the full duration ofthe programme (as laid out onpages 2 and 3).

n Designate an “OperationalLead” to oversee delivery. Thiswill be a senior member of staff,who is responsible for ensuringthat the Consultant SocialWorkers and the participantshave the support they need toenable a first-rate learningexperience.

n Support the participants tostudy alongside their work.They need to attend someteaching days away from yourservice, and have regularmeetings with their AcademicTutor.

n Manage local partnerships toensure the programmesucceeds. For example, whereservices are delivered inpartnership between NHS Trustsand Local Authorities.

In Year One (the training year):

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In Year Two (the qualified year):

n Employ the participants in anappropriate role, with anappropriate salary. You can use theparticipants to fill any role, in adultservices, that requires a qualifiedmental health practitioner –including roles previously filled byother professionals such as mentalhealth nurses or occupationaltherapists. Their contract with youshould be full-time, and for at least12 months (although you may wishto offer longer, or permanent,contracts), with the usual salary fora newly qualified social worker.

n Manage the participants’ Assessedand Support Year in Employment.If you have an existing ASYEprogramme, they will join it. If youdo not, we can advise you on howto approach this. As for any newlyqualified social worker, you willneed to ensure that their caseloadis appropriately sized.

n Allow three to five days’ studyleave, for them to complete theirmaster’s degree work. (This is inaddition to a small number ofteaching days and tutor visits.)

Frequently-asked questionsWhat does it cost to be a partner? There’sno fee, and we pay you £32k (£38k inLondon) to cover your costs. You will needto meet the usual on-costs of bringing in newstaff e.g. desks, phones, travel expenses etc.

Who pays the participants? During YearOne, when they are training, we pay them abursary. During Year Two, once they arequalified, they become your employeesand you pay them a standard salary for anew entrant.

Does the Consultant Social Worker haveto leave their previous role behind? Yes,the Consultant Social Worker role is full-time. They will still take a caseload, sharedwith their unit, which will be small at firstand grow to, on average, around 35 cases inthe second half of the year. These couldinclude some cases they managed in theirprevious role, but they won’t be able to taketheir full caseload with them. Someorganisations absorb this temporaryreduction in capacity across other staff;some use part of the payment we providetowards backfilling the role that theConsultant Social Worker leaves behind.

Where can I place the participants oncethey’re qualified? They are a flexibleresource: you can put them into any role inadult services that requires a qualifiedmental health practitioner, whether existingor newly created. They can take up rolespreviously filled by other professionals, e.g.mental health nurses or occupationaltherapists.

How do I arrange the ContrastingLearning Experience? You need to workwith a partner agency that can facilitatedirect work with children and families. Thebest option is usually a local children andfamily social work team. Alternatively, youcan use a Child and Adolescent MentalHealth Service, or an appropriate thirdsector provider. The participants will need alocal supervisor for the 30 days they spendin this service, but their Consultant SocialWorker will retain overall oversight.

How do I know the participants will stayon after the programme? All of ourparticipants are selected for their strongcommitment to the profession. But like anystaff member, how long they stay with yourparticular organisation will depend on theirexperience of working with you. Weprovide guidance on the actions that youcan take to ensure they have a positiveexperience and are likely to become long-term employees.

Support from Think AheadWe assign one of our PracticeSpecialists, all highly experiencedsocial workers, to support you withevery aspect of the partnership. Theycan give you advice and practicalsupport throughout the partnership,from recruiting your ConsultantSocial Worker(s) to retaining yourparticipants after the programmeends.

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How to start a partnershipIf you think you might be interested, do get in touch. The earlier we start to talk, the more likely it isthat we can make the programme work for you.

Get in touch to let us know you’re interested – you can email us onpartners@thinkahead.org.

We’ll be keen to talk, so that we can learn about your organisation and your priorities,and discuss with you how the Think Ahead programme would work in your services.

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You make an application to partner with us. This is easy – it just means filling in a shortform specifying things like what service the participants will be based in. We can helpyou think it through.3We let you know whether your application has been accepted. We’ll get back to youafter we’ve reviewed all the applications from organisations who want to receiveparticipants from the next cohort. You can find the latest application deadlines, andwhen you can expect to hear back, on our website.4If you’ve been accepted, we begin working with you to prepare for the programme. (If you haven’t, we will explain why and begin discussing how we might be able towork with you for future cohorts.)5

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Our partnersThink Ahead participants have trained and worked in services provided by:

n Barnet, Enfield and Haringey MentalHealth Trust

n Birmingham and Solihull Mental HealthNHS Foundation Trust

n Birmingham City Counciln Black Country Partnership NHS

Foundation Trustn Bradford District Care Trustn Bradford Metropolitan District Counciln Brighton and Hove City Counciln Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS

Foundation Trustn Cambridgeshire County Counciln Camden and Islington NHS Foundation

Trustn Central and North West London NHS

Foundation Trustn Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership

NHS Trustn East London NHS Foundation Trustn Enfield Counciln Essex Partnership University NHS

Foundation Trustn Gateshead Counciln Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS

Foundation Trustn Hartlepool Borough Council n Hertfordshire County Counciln Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS

Foundation Trustn Kent County Counciln Kent and Medway Social Care

Partnership Trust

n Leicestershire County Counciln Leicestershire Partnership Trustn Liverpool City Counciln London Borough of Barnetn London Borough of Bexleyn London Borough of Brentn London Borough of Camdenn London Borough of Croydonn London Borough of Hackneyn London Borough of Harrown London Borough of Hillingdonn London Borough of Mertonn London Borough of Newhamn London Borough of Redbridgen London Borough of Richmondn London Borough of Southwarkn London Borough of Waltham Forestn Luton Borough Counciln Manchester City Counciln Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trustn North East London NHS Foundation Trustn North Somerset Counciln North Tyneside Counciln North Yorkshire County Counciln Northamptonshire County Counciln Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS

Foundation Trustn Oxleas NHS Foundation Trustn Portsmouth City Counciln Royal Borough of Kensington and

Chelsean Sefton Metropolitan Borough Counciln Solent NHS Trust

n Solihull City Counciln South London and Maudsley NHS

Foundation Trustn South West London and St George's

Mental Health NHS Trustn South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS

Foundation Trustn St Andrew's Healthcaren Stockton on Tees Borough Counciln Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS

Foundation Trustn Surrey County Counciln Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trustn Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS

Foundation Trustn The Council of the County of Durhamn Wakefield Counciln Warwickshire County Counciln Westminster City Counciln Wolverhampton City Counciln Worcestershire County Counciln Worcestershire Health and Care NHS

Trust

@ThinkAheadMH

/thinkaheadorg

company/think-ahead-orgin

The Think Ahead Organisation is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Charity number: 1166577. Company number: 10015893.

We’re proud partners of Think Ahead.All my years of NHS experience haveunderlined the importance of social workersto mental health; you cannot get by withoutthem. This scheme can make a lastingdifference to creating strength and pride inthis great profession.

Claire Murdoch, NHS England National Mental Health Directorand Chief Executive of Central and North West London NHSFoundation Trust.

thinkahead.org

Trustees:Professor Dame Carol Black (Chair)Dr Ruth AllenProfessor David Croisdale-Appleby OBEJames DarleyProfessor Sir Julian le GrandRt Hon Norman Lamb MPDonald PeckSharon Rice-OxleyLord Dennis StevensonNicholas Timmins

Academic teaching on the Think Ahead programme isprovided by Middlesex University.