Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Framework on Learning Disability and Autism
First Response Training was one of the first training providers in the country to be approved to offer essential training in line with the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.
Oliver's Training will help to revolutionise training for health and social care staff and transform care and support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
Since March 2023, First Response Training have delivered over 1000 Tier 1 webinars and over 700 Tier 2 courses. We have reached over 30,000 learners already, and will train many more in the coming months.
Key Moments
Amratpal Bhogal
Expert with Lived Experience of a Learning Disability
"I love being a co-trainer because I get to meet so many people from different parts of the NHS and share my lived experience with them. The support I’ve received has been incredible."
Laura Amy Williams
Expert with Lived Experience of Autism
"It gives me a lot of reassurance to know there are so many people who want to understand autism and autistic people. As an expert with lived experience, I feel I can simply be myself and share my story."
Jon Purton
Lead Trainer
"Co-training alongside our experts with lived experience is genuinely the most rewarding part of my role. Their stories bring the training to life in a way no textbook ever could — it’s their honesty, strength and insight that leaves a lasting impression on every group we work with."
Becky Cropper
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Lead
"My role is to support our Experts with Lived Experience. For many of our autistic and learning disability Experts, this is their first step into employment, and it’s a real privilege to be part of their journey."
Leon Williams
Lead Director
"We must acknowledge the incredible work of Paula McGowan, whose tireless campaigning has led to this training becoming a statutory requirement for all health and social care staff. Through the tragic loss of her son, Oliver, meaningful change is being made to improve the quality and standards within health and social care."
Project Manager:
Ugo Jonathan
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) engaged with us to deliver Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Ugo Jonathan, the regional contact for the program, facilitated the collaboration and acted as a key liaison. The T1 training commenced in January 2024 followed by commencement of T2 training in March 2024. In the last 12 months, over 2700 learners have completed the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.
"Working with First Response Training has been a great experience. The training sessions are delivered professionally, and the team is always easy to communicate with. They’ve been really accommodating, taking the time to listen to any requests or concerns and working collaboratively to address them. We chose First Response because of their passion and commitment, especially when it comes to supporting and training Experts with Lived Experience—that really stood out to us. The whole process of working with them has been smooth, and their collaborative approach has been impressive. We’d happily recommend First Response Training to others and, honestly, don’t have any suggestions for improvement."
Programme Managers:
Amy Parkin
Julia Hamilton-Box
Since August 2024, we have been delivering Tier 1 training on the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism for South East London ICB. Amy and Julia, Programme Managers, have been instrumental in ensuring a successful collaboration. Our dedicated weekly meetings with the Account Manager have been highly valued, offering a reliable platform to address and resolve operational issues. For example, these sessions have enabled us to ensure that the correct delegate information is consistently shared with their Learning and Development team, as well as tackle practical challenges, such as ensuring delegates have their cameras on during training.
To date, we have successfully trained over 10,000 delegates. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, mirroring sentiments expressed in other training sessions. Delegates frequently highlight the impactful contributions of our Experts with Lived Experience, who provide insights that profoundly shift participants' perspectives and practices. The South East London ICB has been more than happy with the quality and delivery of the training. They have even referred us to North East London ICB, demonstrating their confidence in our ability to deliver high-quality learning experiences.
Our bespoke CRM client portal has been a vital tool throughout this partnership, offering the client the ability to pull any reports they require, such as upcoming activity schedules or attendance data. This portal ensures transparency and ease of access for the client’s Learning and Development team, who can download delegate data and certificates at any time. Certificates are also automatically sent to delegates on the same day as their session, thanks to our efficient CRM system. This process ensures that delegates receive their certification promptly via email, while the L&D team also has immediate access to these records.
The feedback process has been streamlined through the use of QR codes at the end of each session. Delegates can provide instant feedback, which is then shared with the client’s L&D team.
What does the training involve?
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is a standardised training package developed by Health Education England (now part of NHS England) and Skills for Care. It has been designed, delivered and evaluated with the help of people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
There are two different tiers of training available and staff should complete EITHER Tier 1 OR Tier 2 depending on their role. It is the responsibility of health and social care employers to ensure staff receive the level of training appropriate to their roles. First Response Training can deliver both Tier 1 and Tier 2 training of the framework.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) supports this training, recognising its vital role in enhancing care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. The CQC ensures that care providers meet the necessary standards to deliver compassionate, person-centred care.
Tier 1
For people who require only general awareness of the support people with learning disabilities or autistic people may need
· Part One: Learners must complete the free eLearning course via eLearning for Healthcare (elfh)
· Part Two: Learners must attend a 60-minute live, interactive online webinar
Upon successful completion of the course, delegates receive a certificate of attendance.
Tier 2
For health and social care staff with responsibility for providing support for people with a learning disability or autistic people
· Part One: Learners must complete the free eLearning course via eLearning for Healthcare (elfh)
· Part Two: Learners must attend a 6-hour face-to-face classroom training course
Upon successful completion of the course, delegates receive a certificate of attendance.
During initial evaluations of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, it became evident how important it was to include people with lived experience in the delivery. As such, both the 60 minute interactive online webinar and the 1-day face-to-face training course must be co-delivered by a trio of trainers. An experienced and qualified Facilitating Trainer will lead delivery, supported by a person with a learning disability and an autistic person, both known as Experts with Lived Experience.
Train the Trainer
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training also includes a Train the Trainer programme in order to upskill people to be able to deliver Oliver’s Training. Learners must be trained in trios - a facilitating/lead trainer and two experts with lived experience co-trainers. There are two distinct train the trainer routes depending on whether learners want to be able to deliver Tier 1 or Tier 2 of Oliver’s Training. Training Trios can be upskilled to deliver both tiers, if they complete both Train the Trainer programmes. First Response Training can provide Train the Trainer courses for the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training. Please contact us on freephone 0800 310 2300 to learn more.
Learning Objectives
Tier 1 (Part 2)
- Talked with a person with a learning disability and an autistic person
- Thought about information that is wrong within society, about people with a learning disability and autistic people
- Listened to examples about how a disability or difficulty, cannot always be seen
- Understood that everyone is different and has different needs
- Explained the importance of not making assumptions about what people need
- Talked about types of reasonable adjustment
Tier 2 (Part 2)
- Avoiding diagnostic overshadowing
- Frequently co-occurring conditions (co-morbidities)
- The laws: Mental Capacity Act, Human Rights Act, Autism Act
- Reasonable Adjustments including Hospital Passports
- Culture (professional bias and subconscious beliefs); professional behaviour and impact on outcomes and other people's behaviour
- How to communicate in accessible ways
- How to understand what the person (and their family) is saying
- Ask Listen Do
- Learning from LeDer
- Annual health checks
Oliver McGowan's Story - #OliversCampaign
As an infant, Oliver suffered meningitis and received diagnoses of mild hemiplegia, focal partial epilepsy, a mild learning disability and high-functioning autism. As he grew up, Oliver experienced seizures and was hospitalised a number of times.
Despite having no diagnosis of psychosis or any other mental health disorder, Oliver was, on a number of occasions during his stays in the hospital, held against his will and given antipsychotic medication. He reacted badly to this medication. He died on 11th November 2016, aged just 18, after the antipsychotic medication was once again administered to him despite medical staff being told repeatedly by both Oliver and his parents that he had suffered adverse reactions to it in the past.
Following his tragic death, Oliver's family campaigned for years to see meaningful improvements made in healthcare. Find out more about their campaign.
Why do we need this training?
Following years of campaigning by Oliver McGowan’s family, the introduction of the Health and Care Act 2022 has written into law the requirement for all registered health and social care providers to ensure that their staff receive training in learning disability and autism. The training must include how to interact appropriately with people who have a learning disability and autistic people. It should be at a level appropriate to their role.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is the government's preferred and recommended training programme to meet this statutory requirement. It was co-developed by Skills for Care and Health Education England (now part of NHS England) alongside experts with lived experience of learning disabilities and autism. It is the only training that is guaranteed to meet the requirements laid out in the Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training, and employers using this training can have confidence that the training is recognised by national bodies advising on standards for the sector.
Pricing
Tier 1 (Part 2)
Delivery: Webinar
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 30 delegates
Price: £300+VAT
Tier 2 (Part 2)
Delivery: Classroom
Duration: 1 day
Capacity: 30 delegates
Price: £1500+VAT
Why choose us?
- One of the first OMMT approved providers
- Over 25 years of expertise
- Employ over 70 experts with lived experience
- National coverage
- Dedicated account management
- Fully compliant
- Bespoke solutions
- Immediate certification
- Inclusive and accessible
Please complete the form below or call us on 0800 310 2300 to enquire.
Find out more about the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Framework
Achieving better care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is leading a two-year project, commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care, to review care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people in segregated settings.
One million people complete Oliver McGowan eLearning
Over one million people have completed the e-learning segment of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, a significant milestone one year after its launch.
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training ‘vitally important’
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training was developed to improve healthcare for individuals with learning disabilities and autism.