Councils in north London have been selected to pioneer a £12m social worker training scheme

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, 16 local services nationwide, including Enfield Council and Barnet Council, have unveiled they will partner with charity Think Ahead to train graduates as social workers

The scheme, which aims to help people with mental health problems live more freely, will see graduates given £18,000 annual bursaries to train as social workers, with Enfield and Barnet students to be among the first.

All the places have now been filled, and according to Think Ahead they were hugely competitive, with one place being contested between 23 people on average.

Mental health minister Alistair Burt said: “Mental health social work is a highly skilled, complex career, and we are delighted that these winning areas will help Think Ahead attract the brightest and best into the profession.

“The funding will help talented graduates and career-changers support thousands of people to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.”