Introduction
This competency framework is designed to support the development of managers at all levels who work in health and social care sector. It will support an individual’s development in leadership and management including supporting change and challenges in this sector in Europe. The framework has been designed to help individuals working in health and social care services to develop through understanding the management and leadership competencies. It provides a benchmark against which individuals can measure their current leadership skills and performance and provides targeted development plans.
The framework provides the foundations of leadership by bringing together research undertaken by the project partners who explored the contemporary issues and competencies needed for managers in this sector. The research project consisted of three phases: focus groups with health and social care managers in four European countries (Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and United Kingdom); an extensive review of the management and leadership literature, a review of existing leadership and management competency frameworks and a review of experts in this field. The initial set of competencies was drafted and reviewed by managers from the four countries. These were then refined, providing a concise set of competencies for this sector. The framework is underpinned by principles of collaboration and harnessing peoples’ enthusiasm to achieve excellence within the sector.
The purpose of the Framework
- Provide a framework for career development, training and education for those who have roles in health and social care management and/or leadership. It can be used for self-assessment and support the continuing professional development for managers.
- Provide information relevant to employers and organisations to support the development of the workforce, help define roles, learning opportunities and education programmes.
- Provide a point of reference from which to identify and develop knowledge, skills and competence in health and social care management and/or leadership through accredited programmes and non-accredited learning; and develop opportunities that target not only professional, but local service needs.
The structure of the Framework
The developed framework consists of 5 domains which demonstrate the leadership and management competencies. These are represented by a 4-level rating scale from ‘not meeting’ to ‘fully met’ – and individuals can also rate the competencies importance to their role. These levels are not tied to any particular job or a level of seniority, meaning that those in junior roles may rate at the top of the scale for some values, skills or behaviours and vice versa, those in senior roles may have lower rating for some competencies. This may be due to the role profile or the stage of development the individual is at.
One of the elements of the competency framework is ‘evidence of competency’. This can be completed as a self-assessment or jointly with a manager as part of a personal development plan. The next column allows an action plan to be completed if any developmental needs are identified. Finally, the last column provides links to learning resources which may facilitate development of that competency.
Download or link to the electronic Competency Framework
The Competency Framework is available as a PDF format for download. It also can be used electronically (recommended) and shared and updated with your manager or anyone you want to share this with. Please access and request your own competency framework here: https://openportfolios.napier.ac.uk/