Using the Framework Organisationally
The Core Regulatory Skills Framework can be used alongside specialist skills frameworks and helps organisations create a shared language for regulatory capability. This section sets out how regulatory organisations can apply the framework for workforce planning, recruitment, learning and development.
The framework as an organisational tool
The Core Regulatory Skills Framework brings together the core knowledge, skills and competencies that regulators need to perform their role at different career levels. For regulatory organisations, the framework provides a consistent, nationally recognised reference for regulatory capability that can be applied across functions, teams and career levels.
The framework is voluntary. Regulatory organisations can use it alongside their own specialist skills frameworks in the technical areas that they regulate. It can help smaller regulators, who may not have human resource, learning and development or skills teams, to develop a general core framework to help their officials in their day-to-day regulatory work.
Workforce capability mapping
Use the framework to map current capability across your regulatory teams. The 20 core skills and five development levels provide a structured reference for assessing where capability exists, where gaps are present, and where development investment is needed. The framework can be applied to individual roles or across teams and directorates.
- Map team capability against the 20 core regulatory skills.
- Identify common capability gaps across development levels.
- Use the skills matrix to benchmark roles against the DBIST framework.
- Prioritise development activity based on evidence of current capability.
Role profile development
The framework supports the development of role profiles that reflect the capability expected at each development level. Roles can be mapped to Awareness, Working, Practitioner, Advanced Practitioner or Leader level, with specific skills and themes highlighted as relevant to the role.
- Align role profiles to the relevant DBIST development level.
- Include specific skills and themes in person specifications.
- Use capability wording from the framework directly in job descriptions.
- Support applicants to understand what is expected at each level.
Learning and development planning
The framework provides a structured basis for learning and development planning. Individual development plans can be built around specific skills at the relevant development level, with progression pathways from current to target level. For executive regulatory leaders, the Senior Leadership Programme supports Leader-level development — distinct from Advanced Practitioner.
- Use the skills review tool to identify individual development needs.
- Build development plans around specific skills and themes.
- Reference the progression pathway from current to next level.
- Align learning activity to specific DBIST capability wording.
Recruitment and progression
The framework supports consistent, capability-based recruitment and progression decisions. Assessment criteria for regulatory roles can be drawn directly from the framework's capability wording, ensuring candidates are assessed against the skills required at the relevant level.
- Use framework capability wording in recruitment assessment criteria.
- Support promotion and progression decisions with clear capability evidence.
- Enable structured capability interviews aligned to the DBIST framework.
- Demonstrate consistent and fair assessment across regulatory teams.
Consistency across regulatory teams
The DBIST framework provides a shared language that can be used across different regulatory teams and organisations. This supports greater consistency in regulatory practice, professional development and capability expectations across the regulatory sector.
- Establish a shared capability language across teams.
- Support cross-team development and secondment programmes.
- Enable consistent performance conversations using framework wording.
- Build a common understanding of regulatory professional standards.
Alignment with specialist regulatory frameworks
The Core Regulatory Skills Framework is designed to complement specialist skills frameworks that regulators may already use. It provides the general core regulatory capability layer, while specialist frameworks address the technical and sector-specific skills required in particular regulatory areas.
- Use alongside existing specialist or technical skills frameworks.
- Identify where core regulatory skills complement sector-specific requirements.
- Support regulators who transfer between different regulatory bodies.
- Demonstrate transferable core regulatory capability across the sector.