Introductory Level
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
The training is named after Oliver McGowan. Oliver was a young man whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better skills, knowledge and understanding of the needs for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff.
Oliver’s training is delivered in 2 Tiers. Staff need to complete either Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Both tiers consist of 2 parts.
The first part of both Tier 1 and Tier 2 is this elearning.
Everyone will need the elearning regardless of where they work and the Tier of training they require. It is free to access.
The second part of the training is either a live 1 hour online interactive session for those needing Tier 1, or, a 1-day face to face training for people who require Tier 2.
More information
The Government has introduced a requirement for Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered service providers to ensure their employees receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. This is to ensure the health and social care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. This requirement is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.
The Health and Care Act code of practice is currently in development and should be published in 2023. Further recommendations made in this may change some elements of the way this training is delivered in the future.
You can visit The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism webpage for further information and updates.
Primary and secondary audiences
- Health workforce
- Social care workforce
- Family, parent, sibling carers and personal assistants of people with a learning disability and autistic people
- Any person who requires a general awareness of people with a learning disability and autistic people
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism - elearning for healthcare