Government pulls funding for fast-track social worker training programme

The fast-track mental health social worker training scheme Think Ahead will not continue beyond the 2025 cohort, it has been revealed.

The programme delivers 160 mental health social workers each year, but the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says the ‘relatively high cost per person’ means they will cease to fund the programme after the current cohort completes.

The Department’s contract with Think Ahead to run the Mental Health Social Work Graduate Programme will now be in place until the conclusion of the 2025 cohort, which will finish in August 2027.

The Think Ahead programme is a two-year, paid, graduate programme that trains individuals to become mental health social workers by combining on-the-job learning, a master's degree, and leadership training. The program is offered in partnership with NHS trusts and local authorities, allowing trainees to qualify after one year while working in mental health services from the start of their training.

The Department of Health and Social Care says the relatively high cost of training social workers through the scheme is behind the decision not to continue its funding.

“We inherited appalling economic circumstances and are reviewing how we invest in social work so we can ensure the best use of taxpayers’ money to help people as effectively as possible,” a spokesperson for the Department said.

“This government is committed to ensuring we have the right professionals in the right places with the right skills to give people the care they deserve.”

The Think Ahead programme is fully funded for participants, meaning they are paid to train with a student bursary in their first year and receive a newly qualified social worker salary in their second year.

However, the majority of social workers come through the higher education route each year, with around 1000 trained at universities and supported by the social work bursary entering adult social care as a social worker and can then decide on specialisms.

Think Ahead’s Chief Executive, Philippa Mariani, said she is “extremely disappointed” with the decision.

“The Think Ahead programme has been running since 2016, and in that time we have recruited and trained over 1,100 mental health social workers, who have made a huge difference to people with mental health needs across the country.

“We are proud that we have brought people into mental health social work from a huge range of professional backgrounds – and that our cohorts are as diverse as the communities they serve, with 30% from black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and 50% in the first generation of their family to go to university.

“Although we’re saddened by this news, our belief in the importance of our work is as strong as ever. Everyone living with mental health needs should be supported to live the life they want and deserve. To achieve this, we need a thriving mental health workforce that is able to truly support people with the social factors that shape their lives – and we remain firmly committed to building that future.”