The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
on Learning Disabilities and Autism
The Government’s preferred and recommended training package for health and social care providers in England. It was developed to give staff the knowledge, understanding and confidence they need to provide safe, compassionate and person-centred care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. The training was named in memory of Oliver McGowan, whose tragic death highlighted the devastating consequences that can occur when health professionals do not fully understand a person’s needs, communication and reasonable adjustments.
Beyond the ordinary
The training is different because people with a learning disability and autistic people have been involved in its development, trial, evaluation and delivery. Co-production and co-delivery are fundamental to the programme, ensuring that professionals have the opportunity to learn directly from people with lived experience. The programme was trialled with more than 8,000 participants and independently evaluated, helping to establish the content and delivery standards expected of learning disability and autism training.
Why is it important
The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement for CQC-registered health and social care providers to ensure staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice sets out the standards for this training, and CQC can take the Code into account when assessing providers. The Oliver McGowan Training is the Government’s preferred and recommended package.
Learning from lived experience
What makes Oliver's Training particularly powerful is the meaningful involvement of people with a learning disability and autistic people in its development and delivery. The programme was trialled with more than 8,000 participants and the learning from its evaluation helped inform the standards within the Code of Practice. Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 include live involvement from people with lived experience.
Training with Inclusive Futures
At Inclusive Futures, we believe Oliver McGowan Training should be more than something that is simply completed because it is mandatory. It is an opportunity to listen, challenge assumptions and understand how small changes in communication and practice can make a significant difference. When professionals listen to lived experience, learning becomes real—and when learning changes practice, lives can improve.