Workforce Capability Framework
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing Sector
The Workforce Capability Framework outlines the capabilities required by the specialist Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing workforces to deliver safe, effective and respectful responses for those impacted by violence.
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing workforces provide a diverse range of programs across multi-layered and complex contexts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women, children, men, gender diverse peoples, and families and communities. While there are differences in contexts and service types, the intention is to be inclusive of people working in the broad range of services, including those who work with people who are experiencing violence and those who work with people who use violence.
By articulating a core set of capabilities that underpin where, what, and how workers operate, we aim to strengthen the connections across different parts of the service system and profile the unique capabilities that sit across the sector’s continuum. The demanding and complex nature of providing services, as well as the funding, system, and policy landscape, requires an adaptable workforce.
The Framework was developed through intensive engagement with the sector to understand the nature of the work and ensure capabilities are led by this understanding, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is driven by and anchored in the sector’s aspirations about how to best support women, children, men, gender diverse peoples, and families and communities.
The Framework and accompanying resources have been designed with simplicity, flexibility, and practical utility in mind.
It can be read in chunks or sections and used in the ways that work best for different organisations. The Framework highlights foundational capabilities across the sector, with the acknowledgement that further content may be desired or required in different sector areas over time.
WorkUP Queensland is committed to evolving this work alongside stakeholders, building on this foundational stage. This includes identifying additional content areas to further deep dive if required, as well as co-designing practical Human Resources tools as learning progresses.
For more information about the Workforce Capability Framework email workforce@healingfoundation.org.au.
Workforce Capability Framework
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing Sector
The Workforce Capability Framework outlines the capabilities required by the specialist Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing workforces to deliver safe, effective and respectful responses for those impacted by violence.
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing workforces provide a diverse range of programs across multi-layered and complex contexts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women, children, men, gender diverse peoples, and families and communities. While there are differences in contexts and service types, the intention is to be inclusive of people working in the broad range of services, including those who work with people who are experiencing violence and those who work with people who use violence.
By articulating a core set of capabilities that underpin where, what, and how workers operate, we aim to strengthen the connections across different parts of the service system and profile the unique capabilities that sit across the sector’s continuum. The demanding and complex nature of providing services, as well as the funding, system, and policy landscape, requires an adaptable workforce.
The Framework was developed through intensive engagement with the sector to understand the nature of the work and ensure capabilities are led by this understanding, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is driven by and anchored in the sector’s aspirations about how to best support women, children, men, gender diverse peoples, and families and communities.
The Framework and accompanying resources have been designed with simplicity, flexibility, and practical utility in mind.
It can be read in chunks or sections and used in the ways that work best for different organisations. The Framework highlights foundational capabilities across the sector, with the acknowledgement that further content may be desired or required in different sector areas over time.
WorkUP Queensland is committed to evolving this work alongside stakeholders, building on this foundational stage. This includes identifying additional content areas to further deep dive if required, as well as co-designing practical Human Resources tools as learning progresses.
For more information about the Workforce Capability Framework email workforce@healingfoundation.org.au.
Resources and FAQs
Click on the tabs below to access resources, FAQs and upcoming events
Workforce Capability Framework
Click on the link below to download the full document.
Workforce Capability Framework Sections
Click on the links below to download sections of the Workforce Capability Framework.
Workforce Capability Framework
Click on the link below to download the full document.
Workforce Capability Framework Sections
Click on the links below to download sections of the Workforce Capability Framework.
- Introduction and Preamble
- Structure and Approach
- Our Five Domains
- Domains and Supporting Capabilities
- Domain 1 – Understanding the nature, drivers, and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
- Domain 2 – Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
- Domain 3 – Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
- Domain 4 – Working as part of an integrated system
- Domain 5 – Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
The Framework is designed for use by the target group, if using this for other purposes please acknowledge this document and WorkUP Queensland, a partnership between The Healing Foundation and ANROWS, funded by the Queensland Government.
Organisation Reflective Questions
Workforce Capability Framework Resource – Organisation Reflective Questions
Workforce Capability Project Discovery Phase Report
Discovery Phase Report published August 2021
More resources and tools coming soon
Videos coming soon
In its simplest terms capability is the ability needed to perform a task or role = skills, knowledge, abilities, attributes. It is more future orientated than focussing on a minimum performance standard. In other words, this framework takes a capability rather than competency view, setting out how individuals and organisations need to adapt, grow and continuously improve.
The demanding and complex nature of providing services requires an adaptable workforce with capabilities that align to evolving reforms. As increasing service demand brings ongoing workforce challenges, this framework provides an opportunity to inform and develop practical resources to help organisations attract, recruit, manage and develop their staff. It will:
- Provide a foundational strategic workforce planning resource, emphasising common capabilities across the breadth of the workforce.
- Support consistent language to describe the capabilities of the workforce.
- Build understanding and raise the profile of the knowledge and behaviours needed to work well in this sector.
No, it is not mandatory and therefore is not a compliance mechanism itself. However, the content has been written with the work and workplace firmly in mind, aligning and complimenting relevant legislation, practice standards and the regulatory environment. It is designed to add value to policy direction and compliance mechanisms and to support organisations in meeting these requirements.
The structure and content were informed by evidence and intensive engagement with stakeholders to understand the nature of the work, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is organised around five overarching themes to describe core and shared expectations across the sector. These five Capability Domains are:
- Understanding the nature, drivers and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
- Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
- Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
- Working as part of an integrated system
- Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
All five apply to all workers across specialist services, unpacked over four broad levels of the workforce: Allied Support, Practitioner, Advance Practitioner and Leader.
A set of Organisation Reflective Questions for each Capability Domain has been created and incorporated, designed for Senior Leadership groups and Boards.
The Capability Framework does not directly align to industrial classifications and is not intended as an industrial instrument. The four workforce levels are not aligned to industrial instruments, nor are they role specific. Rather, they focus on the level of responsibility and expectation.
While the four workforce levels can depict a pathway for workers to move through (i.e., practitioner to advanced practitioner), pathways will not always be linear. The levels are designed to allow capabilities from more than one workforce level to combine to form the unique makeup of a particular role i.e., ‘a little from column A and a little from column B’ type of approach.
The content has been driven by industry engagement, emerging evidence and workforce research, maintaining authenticity by using stakeholder language in its articulation. It highlights what is core and common across all work settings within Queensland’s Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing sector, rather than going into the detail of specific job roles and tasks.
Organisations are different across our sector and their communities diverse. Therefore, there is no one way for the framework to be used, allowing organisations to do so in a way which works for them, in the context of their unique operating environment, reflecting their culture, systems and processes.
The framework provides a foundation for validating and improving attraction and recruitment strategies including writing and reviewing position descriptions and workforce development strategies, adapted to the different needs and service delivery requirements.
Designed for ease of use, flexibility and adaptability, WorkUP Queensland will be offering a range of responsive support strategies to enable learning, understanding and application.
It will be of use for small organisations with limited human resource capacity. It can also help to articulate and raise the profile and awareness of domestic family and sexual violence and women’s health and wellbeing workers that sit in organisations with a broader suite of community programs. Some examples of how the framework and accompanying resources can be used are:
| WORKER/INDIVIDUAL LEVEL: | ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL: |
|
|
WorkUP is committed to evolving this work alongside the sector, with identified gaps and areas of improvement to be prioritised as the implementation and learning matures.
There will be multiple and flexible entry points to connect in with this work. Stay tuned for further learning opportunities throughout 2023 including:
- Short video clips and intro/webinar sessions to introduce and build understanding
- Themed symposiums or forums for a wider audience
- Targeted action learning spaces for deeper dives in aspects of the employee lifecycle and to support understanding and application of the framework
- Practical tools to be released iteratively over 2023 (informed by the capability framework). Examples may includes: position description and interview question resources; capability cards to support performance development; and self-assessment checklists to support personal and career development
- Ongoing development of scenarios-based stories and/or case studies to assist with guiding use and maximising utility
Towards the end of 2023 we will consolidate a Refine and Strengthening phase, to identify essential updates and future recommendations to evolve and strengthen the work.
In its simplest terms capability is the ability needed to perform a task or role = skills, knowledge, abilities, attributes. It is more future orientated than focussing on a minimum performance standard. In other words, this framework takes a capability rather than competency view, setting out how individuals and organisations need to adapt, grow and continuously improve.
The demanding and complex nature of providing services requires an adaptable workforce with capabilities that align to evolving reforms. As increasing service demand brings ongoing workforce challenges, this framework provides an opportunity to inform and develop practical resources to help organisations attract, recruit, manage and develop their staff. It will:
- Provide a foundational strategic workforce planning resource, emphasising common capabilities across the breadth of the workforce.
- Support consistent language to describe the capabilities of the workforce.
- Build understanding and raise the profile of the knowledge and behaviours needed to work well in this sector.
No, it is not mandatory and therefore is not a compliance mechanism itself. However, the content has been written with the work and workplace firmly in mind, aligning and complimenting relevant legislation, practice standards and the regulatory environment. It is designed to add value to policy direction and compliance mechanisms and to support organisations in meeting these requirements.
The structure and content were informed by evidence and intensive engagement with stakeholders to understand the nature of the work, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is organised around five overarching themes to describe core and shared expectations across the sector. These five Capability Domains are:
- Understanding the nature, drivers and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
- Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
- Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
- Working as part of an integrated system
- Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
All five apply to all workers across specialist services, unpacked over four broad levels of the workforce: Allied Support, Practitioner, Advance Practitioner and Leader.
A set of Organisation Reflective Questions for each Capability Domain has been created and incorporated, designed for Senior Leadership groups and Boards.
The Capability Framework does not directly align to industrial classifications and is not intended as an industrial instrument. The four workforce levels are not aligned to industrial instruments, nor are they role specific. Rather, they focus on the level of responsibility and expectation.
While the four workforce levels can depict a pathway for workers to move through (i.e., practitioner to advanced practitioner), pathways will not always be linear. The levels are designed to allow capabilities from more than one workforce level to combine to form the unique makeup of a particular role i.e., ‘a little from column A and a little from column B’ type of approach.
The content has been driven by industry engagement, emerging evidence and workforce research, maintaining authenticity by using stakeholder language in its articulation. It highlights what is core and common across all work settings within Queensland’s Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing sector, rather than going into the detail of specific job roles and tasks.
Organisations are different across our sector and their communities diverse. Therefore, there is no one way for the framework to be used, allowing organisations to do so in a way which works for them, in the context of their unique operating environment, reflecting their culture, systems and processes.
The framework provides a foundation for validating and improving attraction and recruitment strategies including writing and reviewing position descriptions and workforce development strategies, adapted to the different needs and service delivery requirements.
Designed for ease of use, flexibility and adaptability, WorkUP Queensland will be offering a range of responsive support strategies to enable learning, understanding and application.
It will be of use for small organisations with limited human resource capacity. It can also help to articulate and raise the profile and awareness of domestic family and sexual violence and women’s health and wellbeing workers that sit in organisations with a broader suite of community programs. Some examples of how the framework and accompanying resources can be used are:
| WORKER/INDIVIDUAL LEVEL: | ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL: |
|
|
WorkUP is committed to evolving this work alongside the sector, with identified gaps and areas of improvement to be prioritised as the implementation and learning matures.
There will be multiple and flexible entry points to connect in with this work. Stay tuned for further learning opportunities throughout 2023 including:
- Short video clips and intro/webinar sessions to introduce and build understanding
- Themed symposiums or forums for a wider audience
- Targeted action learning spaces for deeper dives in aspects of the employee lifecycle and to support understanding and application of the framework
- Practical tools to be released iteratively over 2023 (informed by the capability framework). Examples may includes: position description and interview question resources; capability cards to support performance development; and self-assessment checklists to support personal and career development
- Ongoing development of scenarios-based stories and/or case studies to assist with guiding use and maximising utility
Towards the end of 2023 we will consolidate a Refine and Strengthening phase, to identify essential updates and future recommendations to evolve and strengthen the work.
Resources
Workforce Capability Framework Sections
Click on the links below to download sections of the Workforce Capability Framework.
Introduction and Preamble
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 1 – Introduction and Preamble
Structure and Approach
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 2 – Structure and Approach
Domains and Supporting Capabilities
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 4 – Domains and Supporting Capabilities
Domain 1
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 5 – Domain 1: Understanding the nature, drivers, and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
Domain 2
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 6 – Domain 2: Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
Domain 3
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 7 – Domain 3: Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
Domain 4
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 8 – Domain 4: Working as part of an integrated system
Domain 2
Workforce Capability Framework
Section 9 – Domain 5: Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
Organisation Reflective Questions
Workforce Capability Framework
Resource – Organisation Reflective Questions
Videos coming soon.
In its simplest terms capability is the ability needed to perform a task or role = skills, knowledge, abilities, attributes. It is more future orientated than focussing on a minimum performance standard. In other words, this framework takes a capability rather than competency view, setting out how individuals and organisations need to adapt, grow and continuously improve.
The demanding and complex nature of providing services requires an adaptable workforce with capabilities that align to evolving reforms. As increasing service demand brings ongoing workforce challenges, this framework provides an opportunity to inform and develop practical resources to help organisations attract, recruit, manage and develop their staff. It will:
- Provide a foundational strategic workforce planning resource, emphasising common capabilities across the breadth of the workforce.
- Support consistent language to describe the capabilities of the workforce.
- Build understanding and raise the profile of the knowledge and behaviours needed to work well in this sector.
No, it is not mandatory and therefore is not a compliance mechanism itself. However, the content has been written with the work and workplace firmly in mind, aligning and complimenting relevant legislation, practice standards and the regulatory environment. It is designed to add value to policy direction and compliance mechanisms and to support organisations in meeting these requirements.
The structure and content were informed by evidence and intensive engagement with stakeholders to understand the nature of the work, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is organised around five overarching themes to describe core and shared expectations across the sector. These five Capability Domains are:
- Understanding the nature, drivers and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
- Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
- Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
- Working as part of an integrated system
- Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
All five apply to all workers across specialist services, unpacked over four broad levels of the workforce: Allied Support, Practitioner, Advance Practitioner and Leader.
A set of Organisation Reflective Questions for each Capability Domain has been created and incorporated, designed for Senior Leadership groups and Boards.
The Capability Framework does not directly align to industrial classifications and is not intended as an industrial instrument. The four workforce levels are not aligned to industrial instruments, nor are they role specific. Rather, they focus on the level of responsibility and expectation.
While the four workforce levels can depict a pathway for workers to move through (i.e., practitioner to advanced practitioner), pathways will not always be linear. The levels are designed to allow capabilities from more than one workforce level to combine to form the unique makeup of a particular role i.e., ‘a little from column A and a little from column B’ type of approach.
The content has been driven by industry engagement, emerging evidence and workforce research, maintaining authenticity by using stakeholder language in its articulation. It highlights what is core and common across all work settings within Queensland’s Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing sector, rather than going into the detail of specific job roles and tasks.
Organisations are different across our sector and their communities diverse. Therefore, there is no one way for the framework to be used, allowing organisations to do so in a way which works for them, in the context of their unique operating environment, reflecting their culture, systems and processes.
The framework provides a foundation for validating and improving attraction and recruitment strategies including writing and reviewing position descriptions and workforce development strategies, adapted to the different needs and service delivery requirements.
Designed for ease of use, flexibility and adaptability, WorkUP Queensland will be offering a range of responsive support strategies to enable learning, understanding and application.
It will be of use for small organisations with limited human resource capacity. It can also help to articulate and raise the profile and awareness of domestic family and sexual violence and women’s health and wellbeing workers that sit in organisations with a broader suite of community programs. Some examples of how the framework and accompanying resources can be used are:
| WORKER/INDIVIDUAL LEVEL: | ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL: |
|
|
WorkUP is committed to evolving this work alongside the sector, with identified gaps and areas of improvement to be prioritised as the implementation and learning matures.
There will be multiple and flexible entry points to connect in with this work. Stay tuned for further learning opportunities throughout 2023 including:
- Short video clips and intro/webinar sessions to introduce and build understanding
- Themed symposiums or forums for a wider audience
- Targeted action learning spaces for deeper dives in aspects of the employee lifecycle and to support understanding and application of the framework
- Practical tools to be released iteratively over 2023 (informed by the capability framework). Examples may includes: position description and interview question resources; capability cards to support performance development; and self-assessment checklists to support personal and career development
- Ongoing development of scenarios-based stories and/or case studies to assist with guiding use and maximising utility
Towards the end of 2023 we will consolidate a Refine and Strengthening phase, to identify essential updates and future recommendations to evolve and strengthen the work.
In its simplest terms capability is the ability needed to perform a task or role = skills, knowledge, abilities, attributes. It is more future orientated than focussing on a minimum performance standard. In other words, this framework takes a capability rather than competency view, setting out how individuals and organisations need to adapt, grow and continuously improve.
The demanding and complex nature of providing services requires an adaptable workforce with capabilities that align to evolving reforms. As increasing service demand brings ongoing workforce challenges, this framework provides an opportunity to inform and develop practical resources to help organisations attract, recruit, manage and develop their staff. It will:
- Provide a foundational strategic workforce planning resource, emphasising common capabilities across the breadth of the workforce.
- Support consistent language to describe the capabilities of the workforce.
- Build understanding and raise the profile of the knowledge and behaviours needed to work well in this sector.
No, it is not mandatory and therefore is not a compliance mechanism itself. However, the content has been written with the work and workplace firmly in mind, aligning and complimenting relevant legislation, practice standards and the regulatory environment. It is designed to add value to policy direction and compliance mechanisms and to support organisations in meeting these requirements.
The structure and content were informed by evidence and intensive engagement with stakeholders to understand the nature of the work, incorporating the sector’s language and voice. It is organised around five overarching themes to describe core and shared expectations across the sector. These five Capability Domains are:
- Understanding the nature, drivers and context of domestic, family and sexual violence and trauma
- Upholding dignity and value through healing-centred engagement
- Managing risk, prioritising safety, and recovery
- Working as part of an integrated system
- Demonstrating a reflective and self-aware approach
All five apply to all workers across specialist services, unpacked over four broad levels of the workforce: Allied Support, Practitioner, Advance Practitioner and Leader.
A set of Organisation Reflective Questions for each Capability Domain has been created and incorporated, designed for Senior Leadership groups and Boards.
The Capability Framework does not directly align to industrial classifications and is not intended as an industrial instrument. The four workforce levels are not aligned to industrial instruments, nor are they role specific. Rather, they focus on the level of responsibility and expectation.
While the four workforce levels can depict a pathway for workers to move through (i.e., practitioner to advanced practitioner), pathways will not always be linear. The levels are designed to allow capabilities from more than one workforce level to combine to form the unique makeup of a particular role i.e., ‘a little from column A and a little from column B’ type of approach.
The content has been driven by industry engagement, emerging evidence and workforce research, maintaining authenticity by using stakeholder language in its articulation. It highlights what is core and common across all work settings within Queensland’s Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Women’s Health and Wellbeing sector, rather than going into the detail of specific job roles and tasks.
Organisations are different across our sector and their communities diverse. Therefore, there is no one way for the framework to be used, allowing organisations to do so in a way which works for them, in the context of their unique operating environment, reflecting their culture, systems and processes.
The framework provides a foundation for validating and improving attraction and recruitment strategies including writing and reviewing position descriptions and workforce development strategies, adapted to the different needs and service delivery requirements.
Designed for ease of use, flexibility and adaptability, WorkUP Queensland will be offering a range of responsive support strategies to enable learning, understanding and application.
It will be of use for small organisations with limited human resource capacity. It can also help to articulate and raise the profile and awareness of domestic family and sexual violence and women’s health and wellbeing workers that sit in organisations with a broader suite of community programs. Some examples of how the framework and accompanying resources can be used are:
| WORKER/INDIVIDUAL LEVEL: | ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL: |
|
|
WorkUP is committed to evolving this work alongside the sector, with identified gaps and areas of improvement to be prioritised as the implementation and learning matures.
There will be multiple and flexible entry points to connect in with this work. Stay tuned for further learning opportunities throughout 2023 including:
- Short video clips and intro/webinar sessions to introduce and build understanding
- Themed symposiums or forums for a wider audience
- Targeted action learning spaces for deeper dives in aspects of the employee lifecycle and to support understanding and application of the framework
- Practical tools to be released iteratively over 2023 (informed by the capability framework). Examples may includes: position description and interview question resources; capability cards to support performance development; and self-assessment checklists to support personal and career development
- Ongoing development of scenarios-based stories and/or case studies to assist with guiding use and maximising utility
Towards the end of 2023 we will consolidate a Refine and Strengthening phase, to identify essential updates and future recommendations to evolve and strengthen the work.