Policy improvement frameworks

We've created three policy improvement frameworks to help government agencies deliver great policy advice. They promote a more joined-up and consistent approach to improving individual’s policy skills, organisational capability, and the quality of advice.

All three frameworks were co-designed for and by the policy community, and have been endorsed for use by the Head of Policy Profession and the Tier 2 Policy Leaders’ Network.

Policy Quality Framework

The Policy Quality Framework provides the policy community with a set of standards that specify what good quality policy advice means. Agencies can use the standards to hold themselves accountable for the quality of their advice, and to support better government decision-making. Policy practitioners can use the framework to help them develop quality policy advice or to peer review the advice of others.

Policy Skills Framework

The Policy Skills Framework sets out the knowledge, applied skills and behaviours that policy practitioners require to deliver quality policy advice. The framework recognises different levels of capability - from new professionals developing their policy craft to seasoned experts at the top of their game. If you’re a policy practitioner, you can use the framework to help you map your skills. If you’re a policy manager, you can use the framework to help you evaluate your team’s skills. Tools based on the framework support individual performance development and building high performing policy teams.

Policy Capability Framework

The Policy Capability Framework sets out what makes a high performing policy shop – with leading questions and lines of inquiry to assess success factors like people capability, stewardship (investing in future capability), systems and processes for delivering quality advice, and being customer-centric. You can use the policy capability framework to test your agency's policy capability and develop action plans to enable better policy advice performance.