Why is this important?
Oliver McGowan was a young autistic man with a learning disability. Oliver sadly died because staff who cared for him did not have the skills and knowledge to look after him.
Oliver’s Training aims to ensure health and social care staff have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. It has been co-produced, trialled and evaluated with people with a learning disability and autistic people. For more information on the background to this training, please see the NHS England website.
The Health and Care Act 2022 says that all staff working in Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated services should be trained in how to care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is the government’s preferred and recommended training to meet the requirements of the Act.
If you have questions, please visit NHS England's FAQs - The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training page.
About the four-day lead trainer training
This course is aimed at health and social care professionals with a training background and experience working in learning disability and autism. They will then go on to train trainers (and co-trainers) across their local area to deliver Oliver’s Training to the health and care workforce. For more information on the application criteria, please click here.
The course takes four days and is delivered over two weeks. The first two days are delivered consecutively in the first week and are focused on learning disability. The last two days are delivered consecutively in the second week and are focused on autism.
The course is delivered face-to-face in locations across England.
If you have questions, please see our frequently asked questions page.
