Hello there! My name is Sirea Jabar. I have recently switched roles at Homeless Link, from regional partnership manager (North) to National Learning and Development Manager, leading on the National Homelessness Skills Framework (NHSF). I am sharing this blog with you to raise awareness of what the framework is for, how different people can use it, and how you can get involved as we expand and develop it further.
What the National Homelessness Skills Framework does
The NHSF is a practical tool that sets out the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed across roles in our sector. It helps organisations describe roles consistently, identify development needs, and plan learning in a way that is transparent and fair. It also supports workforce planning by showing clear pathways from entry-level learning through to specialist and leadership capability.
If you’re a manager: use the NHSF to support your team
Managers can use the NHSF to make expectations clear, have more confident supervision conversations, and build development plans that are linked to real work. It can also support recruitment and induction by helping you match responsibilities to the right skill level and spot where additional training or shadowing is needed.
If you’re considering a career in the sector: use it to explore routes in
If you’re thinking about joining the sector, the NHSF can help you understand what different roles involve and what “good” looks like at each level. It can also help you identify the skills you already have (including from volunteering or other sectors) and what you might want to build next.
If you’re already in the sector: use it to grow your learning and development
Whether you’re new in post or highly experienced, the NHSF can help you take stock of your strengths and plan your next steps—such as building specialist skills, preparing for a move into a different area, or developing leadership capability. It can also support conversations about progression by providing shared language for capability and development.
What’s next: expanding the framework
We’re developing plans to expand the NSHF so it reflects more roles, settings and pathways, and stays aligned with emerging practice and service needs. The aim is to make it even easier to use for recruitment, supervision, learning design and career development.
Want to be involved?
If you’re interested in being part of the co-production of the next phase—please get in touch. I’m especially keen to hear from HR colleagues, managers, specialist workers, frontline workers, and volunteers. It would be great to hear from across local authority, voluntary sector and public sector workers from within the homelessness sector, so the expanded framework can be grounded in real roles and real development journeys. Share what you need from the NHSF, what currently works well, and what gaps you’d like us to address.
If you haven’t come across the National Homelessness skills Framework yet or still haven’t got round to using it, click on the link above and take a look.
