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Updated Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework Published

The updated Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework has now been published following a programme of national collaboration and engagement across health and social care.

Commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the updated framework was developed by Skills for Care, Skills for Health and NHS England, with support from the Care Quality Commission, DHSC and a range of sector partners, including Turning Point.

The framework includes a foreword from Turning Point Chief Executive Julie Bass and was shaped by an Expert Reference Group (ERG) of mental health specialists from across health and social care. The group was facilitated and chaired by Skills for Care to ensure strong cross‑sector representation and alignment.

Lived experience at the heart of the framework

As part of the update, Skills for Care worked closely with lived experience groups to capture what matters most to people who access mental health support. These insights have been embedded throughout the framework to ensure it reflects real‑world experiences and priorities.

This included consultation with people supported by Turning Point across a range of settings. You can read about what the people we support said here.

Supporting a skilled, compassionate workforce

The Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework is designed to support the development of skills across the health and social care workforce. It helps ensure that anyone working with people who experience mental health issues can provide consistent, compassionate and personalised support.

The framework can also be used by organisations developing training and education programmes, providing a nationally agreed set of outcomes against which learning can be benchmarked.

How Turning Point will use the updated framework

Turning Point will use the revised framework to shape a person‑centred training offer for its workforce.

By differentiating learning pathways according to service type, and the needs, strengths and experiences of the people we support, the updated framework will help ensure our staff have the right skills, at the right depth, for their specific practice context.

Personalising development across services

The framework will support personalised staff development across community, supported living and crisis services, enabling teams to build competencies that matter most to the people they support. This includes skills linked to:

  • Trauma‑informed practice
  • Supporting people with co‑existing conditions
  • Recovery‑focused approaches
  • More specialist mental health support

The strong focus on lived experience ensures the framework reflects what matters most: relationships, trust and the ability to respond compassionately and holistically to each individual.