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Mandatory Training

View our full suite of mandatory training courses for Health and Social Care staff.

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Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Framework

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 150 Tier 1 webinars and over 75 Tier 2 courses. We have reached over 4,000 learners already, and will train many more in the coming months.

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.

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.

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

· Maximum learners per session = 30

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

· Maximum learners per session = 30

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.

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.

Oliver McGowan's Story - #OliversCampaign

Oliver McGowan Image

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.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism

Tier 1 Part 2 Training

Learning Objectives:

  • 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 Training

Learning Objectives:

  • 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

Find out more about the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Framework