Frontline curriculum lead contributes to BASW refresh of Professional Capabilities Framework
Julie Henry, curriculum lead for practice education at Frontline has supported the development of the newly refreshed Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), the UK’s overarching framework for social work practice and career development, alongside other sector colleagues in the British Association of Social Workers’ (BASW) evaluation and impact project group.
The PCF sets out nine domains of capability that social workers are expected to develop throughout their careers, spanning everything from values and ethics to leadership and professionalism. First introduced in 2012 and last refreshed in 2018, the framework underpins social work education, assessment and professional development across England.
From April 2025, Julie joined representatives from BASW, universities and the wider sector to review what was working in the PCF and what needed to change.
The refresh process began with a UK-wide survey – deliberately open for those beyond local authority social work, to reach practitioners across adult and children’s services, mental health, academia, policy and leadership, as well as experts by experience. Survey findings then fed into a consultation and series of focus groups.
A strong theme of the refresh was making the PCF more usable in day to day practice, not just as an assessment tool for newly qualifying social workers. Julie’s contribution focused on how leadership is understood and positioned within the framework – a question with direct relevance to Frontline, given that its practice education programme assesses practice against the PCF.
Julie Henry, curriculum lead for practice education at Frontline said: “As a curriculum lead working with practice educators who are writing in-depth reports to support Approach Social Work participants’ progress, it’s really critical that the PCF domains are evidenced well. It underpins the key role of practice educators – making sure our participants are meeting the PCF domains, and that they have the understanding to support a student social worker, but also to carry that understanding through the rest of their career as a social worker.
It’s great to have Frontline’s voice heard in this kind of work, bringing something unique and important to the table. And it has been a fantastic opportunity to connect across the sector, especially with such an important organisation like BASW.”
People with lived experience of social work services were also involved throughout the process, helping shape a framework that reflects a stronger focus on social justice than the previous 2018 iteration. The refresh also prioritised accessible, inclusive language and better guidance and examples to help social workers apply the framework in real world practice – including new attention to areas practitioners have historically found harder to evidence, such as leadership and reflective supervision.
Frontline’s own programme paperwork will be updated to reflect the new domain structure.
The refreshed PCF is available now on the BASW website.
For more information, please contact morgen.evans@thefrontline.org.uk