Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework
What is the Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework?
The Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework (2026) is a national workforce framework developed by Skills for Care, Skills for Health, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
It sets out the knowledge, skills and values needed by staff who work with people who have mental health needs, across health, social care and voluntary sector services.
The framework supports a consistent, person‑centred and recovery‑focused approach to mental health care, recognising that mental health support is delivered by a wide range of roles, not just specialist clinicians.
Who is the framework for?
The framework is relevant to:
• Frontline care and support staff
• Team leaders and supervisors
• Managers and service leaders
• Trainers, assessors and education providers
• Commissioners and workforce planners
It is relevant across learning disability, autism, mental health, older people’s and community‑based services, including staff whose primary role is not mental health, but who support people with co‑existing mental health needs
How the framework is structured
The framework uses a tiered approach, recognising that different roles require different levels of capability:
Tier 1 – Core mental health capabilities (applicable to everyone)
Tier 1 sets out the essential mental health capabilities expected of all staff, regardless of role or setting.
Key areas include:
• Promoting mental and physical wellbeing, recognising the close link between physical health, mental health and quality of life
• Mental health awareness, including recognising common mental health needs and their impact on daily living
• Person centred and strengths based support, focusing on what matters to the individual
• Effective communication and relationship based care, including trauma informed approaches
• Promoting rights, choice, dignity and inclusion, and challenging stigma and discrimination
• Recognising risk and responding appropriately, including safeguarding and escalation
• Working collaboratively, including with families, carers and other professionals
Tier 1 is particularly relevant for staff supporting people with learning disabilities and mental health needs, where mental health awareness and consistent, compassionate support are essential.
Tier 2 – Enhanced mental health capabilities (role specific)
Tier 2 applies to staff whose roles involve greater responsibility for supporting mental health, but who may not be working in a fully specialist mental health role.
Tier 2 focuses on:
• Deeper understanding of mental health needs, including co existing conditions and complexity
• Enhanced assessment and support planning, within the scope of the role
• Supporting people experiencing distress, deterioration or increased risk
• Contributing to care planning, reviews and decision making
• Working effectively across services, including escalation and referral pathways
• Supporting colleagues, including sharing good practice and contributing to supervision
In learning disability services, Tier 2 is relevant where staff support individuals with complex presentations, increased risk, or fluctuating mental health needs.
Tier 3 – Advanced and specialist mental health capabilities
Tier 3 applies to staff with advanced, specialist or leadership responsibilities for mental health care and support, where mental health is a primary focus of the role.
Tier 3 builds on Tiers 1 and 2 and includes:
• Comprehensive mental health assessment and formulation
• Advanced intervention and recovery focused support planning
• Managing complexity, risk and crisis situations
• Professional and practice leadership, including supervision and mentoring
• Service development and quality improvement
• Embedding lived experience and co production into practice and service design
Tier 3 capabilities are particularly relevant in learning disability services where individuals experience significant mental health needs, trauma, or risk of placement breakdown or hospital admission
Prevention and early intervention
A key theme throughout the updated framework is prevention. This includes:
• Promoting wellbeing and resilience
• Recognising early signs of mental distress
• Taking action early to prevent escalation
• Supporting people to maintain independence and quality of life
This is particularly relevant in learning disability services, where early identification and consistent support can significantly reduce crisis situations.
Lived experience at the centre
The framework has been developed with people with lived experience of mental health needs, and their views are embedded throughout. This reinforces the importance of:
• Listening to people’s experiences
• Valuing co production
• Ensuring care is respectful, empowering and recovery focused
This approach supports services to deliver compassionate, personalised care rather than task led interventions.
How this supports CQC expectations
Using the Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework can help providers evidence:
• Well led – a skilled, supported and values driven workforce
• Safe – staff who can recognise risk, respond appropriately and escalate concerns
• Caring – person centred, compassionate and respectful support
• Effective – staff with the right knowledge and skills for their role
It also supports compliance with Regulation 18 (Staffing) by demonstrating a structured approach to workforce development and training.
How care providers can use this framework
Care providers can use the framework to:
• Inform training needs analysis
• Shape induction and refresher training
• Support supervision and appraisal discussions
• Map learning to CQC inspection evidence
• Ensure staff supporting people with learning disabilities are confident in mental health awareness and support