National Homelessness Skills Framework

Who is this framework for?

• People who are looking to work in the homelessness sector
• People who are looking to develop their skills within the sector
• Leaders and managers within homelessness services who want to support frontline staff to develop
• HR/recruitment leads

Why we have developed the skills framework

The homelessness sector is full of fantastic, committed people. However, we know that retention of people is difficult, as is recruitment. This is partly because there is nowhere to find out what a career in homelessness looks like, or an understanding of the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to underpin effective delivery.

As part of our Voluntary and Community Frontline Sector (VCFS) grant from DLUHC, we have developed a National Homelessness Skills Framework to address this gap, designed to be a key resource to support the learning and development of the housing and homelessness workforce.

The framework aims to create a common skills language for current and prospective staff to help facilitate the recognition of transferable skills, knowledge and behaviours, and support career development, so that skills can be passported between services. This will help the sector to retain and gain qualified, knowledgeable staff, and therefore tackle homelessness more effectively.

The objectives of the skills framework:

• To provide consistency, clarity and a professional benchmark of the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for roles across the sector
• To recognise and celebrate the diverse skills that are essential for delivering successful services
• To be used as a practical tool to attract, retain and develop dedicated and skilled staff and volunteers across the sector.

1. Start at part 1 by reviewing the roles to find the one that most closely matches your current role or a role that you’re interested in.
2. Review the skills, knowledge and behaviours that are linked to your chosen role.
3. Assess your strengths and identify any areas for development. Use the framework to have a conversation with your manager about your career planning - whether that is broadening your specialisms, or moving into a more senior role. If you’re new to the sector think through what transferable skills, knowledge or behaviours you might have, consider volunteering, and review our learning and development options.
4. Draft a plan to prioritise a few areas (knowledge, skills or behaviours, or a mix of all three) to focus on, being mindful not to overwhelm yourself.