Advantage Mentoring

📢 Advisory Board Announcement 📢 We’re thrilled to welcome Anne to the Advantage Advisory Board! Anne brings over 40 years of NHS experience and is currently the Regional Director for @nhsengland – South East. She has held Chief Executive roles across acute and teaching hospitals, as well as in mental health, community, and specialist services. She has played a key role in supporting system leaders to deliver the region’s mental health priorities - strengthening access to services, improving outcomes for children and young people, and addressing inequalities for those facing the greatest barriers to care. Alongside her NHS leadership, Anne is a qualified Coach, a Visiting Professor at Buckinghamshire New University, and an adviser supporting leadership and communications programmes. 💬Regarding her appointment, Anne remarked: “I have always been passionate about mentoring and early mental health support, particularly approaches that remove stigma and meet children and young people where they are. When I first heard about Advantage Mentoring and its work alongside football clubs, I was struck by the strength of this approach and the difference it can make in young people’s lives, and I am proud to support their work.” 💬 Our MD, Konrad, shared: “Since meeting Anne a few years ago, she has been an exceptional supporter of our work. She brings a thoughtful, strategic perspective, and her involvement comes at an exciting stage in our growth.” With Anne’s experience, insight, and passion for early intervention, we’re confident she will help drive our mission to: Harness the power of professional football clubs’ community organisations to deliver impactful mental health mentoring programmes. Welcome aboard, Anne! #AdvantageMentoring #AdvisoryBoard #NHSEngland #MentalHealth SouthEastEngland Growth

Yesterday, our Senior Operations and Performance Manager, Adrian, joined the #WorkWell Discovery Session hosted by Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria NHS. The session brought together NHS leaders, local authorities, and delivery partners to shape a clear and ambitious 12-month plan focused on supporting young people aged 16–18 with health conditions into meaningful employment. In session, Adrian shared how our #WorkBetter programme has evolved over the last 12 months to support adults who are temporarily or permanently signed off work due to mental health challenges. Delivered through trusted local football clubs, Work Better provides accessible, community-based mental health mentoring and employability support—helping people rebuild confidence, improve wellbeing, and take positive steps towards returning to work. As conversations continue around the future of WorkWell pilots and wider health and employment funding, it’s vital that proven, community-led interventions remain part of the solution. A huge thank you to Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria for facilitating such an important and collaborative session! We’re excited to continue contributing to the conversation and exploring how football clubs can play an even greater role in improving health and employment outcomes across communities. #NHS #EmploymentSupport CommunityImpact

📢 Advisory Board Announcement 📢 We’re thrilled to welcome Rebecca Richmond to the Advantage Advisory Board! Bec is an expert in international health, social care strategy, and executive workshop design and delivery. Most recently, as Director at @optum UK, she worked with @nhsengland (NHSE) national teams and local systems to develop and implement population health management, value-based care, and integration/transformation strategies. She brings extensive experience as a subject matter expert, public speaker, and facilitator for executive and board-level leadership, alongside designing and delivering inter-agency workshops, panels, and presentations. Previously, as Managing Director at The Advisory Board Company, Bec led international research and consulted with health leaders, facilitating C-suite and government-level engagement on innovative health strategies across 40+ countries. She has also contributed to national Health System Development Programmes with NHSE, focusing on executive leadership, place-based development, neighbourhood working, and the wider determinants of health and wellbeing. 💬 Our MD, Konrad, shared: “Bringing Bec into the Advisory Board makes so much sense, not only because of her deep passion for health and social change, but also her outstanding track record in strategy and workshop delivery. Her network and ability to facilitate high-impact conversations will be invaluable as we continue to deliver our mission and expand nationally.” With Bec’s expertise and leadership, we’re excited to continue our mission to: Harness the power of professional football club community organisations to deliver mental health mentoring programmes that address key community challenges. Welcome aboard, Bec! #AdvantageMentoring #NewBoardMember #PopulationHealthManagement #Growth

Unlocking Jack's Confidence and Reducing Anxiety 9 months ago, we commissioned @advmentoring 's Talking Tactics programme, an innovative, accessible mental health intervention to support young people’s mental health throughout Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey. Delivered by @spursfoundation and @arsenal_in_the_community . Alongside Advantage Mentoring, our goal will always be to provide services that tackle inequality and bring them closer to home - shifting care from hospital to community and delivering specialist support that reflects the needs of young people across our boroughs. Watch Now.

Bringing the impact of our programmes to life🎥✨ ⬇️Check out the highlights of our event below, and see how the unique opportunity to showcase the journeys of our Talking Tactics and Work Better participants resonated with people across who invest in and care deeply about our mission: NHS, football club community organisations, and the charity sector. ✅Proving that what we set out to do – works. And the goal to support more people across England is more achievable than ever. #AdvantageMentoring #TalkingTactics #WorkBetter #CYPMH #ShowcaseEvent #TottenhamHotspurStadium

📢 HUGE announcement incoming… #NewRegion #ToonAmy #NHS #NENC #CYPMH

A massive thank you to all the attendees, programme participants, and speakers who joined us for our Showcase Event at the @tottenhamhotspurstadium this week. The energy, conversation, and support in the room were undeniable, and it was amazing to see the response to the powerful experiences shared across the Work Better and Talking Tactics panels. We were so proud to highlight our participants journeys from the Talking Tactics programme with @spursfoundation and Work Better programme with @arsenal_in_the_community , and to see the room resonate with the honest experiences they shared - from being supported to better timetable their lives, balancing college and a new job to fund their creative outlets, to working with mentors first in shifting their mindset to help them get to a better place. For many, that support has made all the difference in feeling ready to take the next steps in their lives. We’re especially grateful to Tottenham Hotspur Foundation for hosting us and for the incredible work they do through community programmes like Talking Tactics, as well as their vital role in the local community - fostering relationships, creating opportunities, and improving outcomes. Our mission has always been to deliver life-changing mental health mentoring programmes that help people achieve their goals, build confidence, and build trusted relationships with mentors. By bringing together partners across the CCOs and NHS, this event was a true living, breathing embodiment of that mission. We’re so excited for future opportunities to showcase this work and, most importantly, to continue building programmes that meet people at their point and place of need. #AdvantageMentoring #MentalHealthMentoring #CommunityPartnerships

We’re delighted announce the renewal of our contract with Liverpool Foundation, made possible through the generous support of the JLB Foundation! Thanks to this partnership, we’re able to continue the impactful work of our Talking Tactics mentoring programme across Liverpool - helping to make innovative, inspiring mental health support more accessible to young people aged 11–21. The programme is delivered by CCO mentors who are representative of their local communities and equipped to meet young people at their point and place of need. Florence Bicknell from the JLB Foundation shared: “The JLB Foundation is proud to support Advantage Mentoring. The Foundation’s contribution will help continue to expand the programme’s reach, connecting more young people with mentors who inspire confidence, resilience, and ambition. We’re committed to empowering young people to build brighter futures.” We’re incredibly grateful to the JLB Foundation for their belief in our work and their commitment to improving outcomes for young people. 👉 Follow our journey to see the impact this support will make for young people and their mental wellbeing. #AdvantageMentoring #JLBFoundation #YouthMentalHealth #PartnershipsforChange #brighterfutures

Mental health support, right in the heart of the community ❤️🤝 The Talking Tactics Programme brings mental health mentoring to young people through @arsenal_in_the_community and @whittingtonhealth . Hear from Aimee, a CAMHS clinician, on how this innovative programme is making support more accessible, impactful and inspiring - in spaces where young people feel at ease. 🎥 Watch now.

🌟 Highlighting our December Advisory Board Spotlight: Dr Nick Isaacs🌟 Last month we spotlighted Dr Nick Isaacs, child and adolescent psychiatrist and Associate Clinical Director at Newham CAMHS (@nhs_elft ) With more than 20 years of medical experience, Nick has been a treasured member of our Advisory Board from the very beginning. He played a pivotal role in the inception of #TalkingTactics, bringing invaluable insight into how to build a clinically viable and effective programme. Through his deep understanding of how CAMHS operates, Nick has helped us shape interventions that are genuinely impactful for young people. From understanding what meaningful impact looks like, to how it should be measured, and where gaps exist in the current system, his guidance has been instrumental in identifying where Talking Tactics can make a real difference — always with the young person’s experience at the centre. 🧠 This strong clinical foundation was later strengthened by Dr Hannah Prytherch, our Lead Consultant, who built upon Nick’s insights as the programme’s lead clinician. 💬 Our MD Konrad shared: “I’ve loved working with Nick over the past four years, particularly leaning on him for expertise around children and young people’s mental health and CAMHS-related guidance. He’s been a crucial part of how we’ve expanded our offer nationally and is always available to bounce ideas off. During our Advisory Board meetings, Nick is a vital voice in ensuring our plans remain rooted in our mission and that we truly do what we say we do. His character and dedication to making mental health more accessible is something I value greatly.” 🙏 We’re incredibly grateful for Nick’s ongoing insight, commitment, and leadership, and for the role he continues to play in shaping Talking Tactics and our wider mission. #AdvisoryBoardSpotlight #CAMHS #AdvantageMentoring #CYPMentalHealth #newham

🌟 Advisory Board Member Spotlight: Ann Hepworth 🌟 Every month we celebrate the expertise, passion, and leadership of our Advisory Board members - the people helping shape Advantage’s mission and impact. This month we’re spotlighting Ann Hepworth, Chief Strategy Officer at @nhsbartshealth and one of the key strategic voices behind Advantage’s growth. With extensive experience across NHS partnerships, Ann has played a pivotal role in strengthening our understanding of the national healthcare landscape and aligning our work with NHS priorities around community mental health and integrated care. 💬 Our MD Konrad shares: “Ann has been invaluable over the past five years, from helping crystallise our vision to connecting us with brilliant people who have helped move the organisation forward. Her leadership is positive, incisive, and deeply strategic.” 🌱 Ann reflects on Advantage’s beginnings: “What started as a spark of an idea during the pandemic grew into a powerful collaboration between Advantage, football community organisations, and NHS partners - creating a programme that is genuinely changing lives.” 🏆 At Barts Health, Ann’s passion for equity and patient experience continues to shine, with the Trust recently recognised at the 2025 PENNA Awards for initiatives including the HEAL programme and Co-Designing Compassion. 🙏 We’re deeply grateful for Ann’s continued support, insight, and leadership as Advantage evolves and expands. Learn more: [link in bio] #MonthlySpotlight #AdvisoryBoard #AdvantageMentoring #HealthcareLeadership

Live ⏺️ from this afternoon! Our MD Konrad is presenting as one of the Child Outcome and Research Consortium (CORC) member organisations on how outcomes, evidence and data power the way we deliver Talking Tactics. Our membership is important because it helps us understand who we’re supporting and gather the evidence we need to scale our programme and increase impact. 📈 Listeners asked great questions about how the Thrive model applies to our work. At @advmentoring , we intervene at Tier 2: Getting Help and More Support, a preventative mental-health intervention supporting young people before they reach an acute stage. Huge thank you to @annafreudcharity and CORC for bringing together organisations committed to using evidence to improve children and young people’s mental health. Honoured to be part of this community 🙌💚 #TalkingTactics #YouthWellbeing #CORC #EvidenceBasedPractice #DataForGood #PreventionMatters #ThriveModel #advantagementoring