Enabling the health and social care workforce to better support people with a learning disability and autistic people
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism has been co-produced, trialled, independently evaluated and will be co-delivered by trainers with lived experience of learning disability and autism. In July the Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a requirement that CQC regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive training on learning disability and autism which is appropriate to the person’s role. The government’s preferred way to do this is through the ‘Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism’ route. The training is delivered as one of two Tiers. It is the employers’ responsibility to ensure their staff have the appropriate training for their roles and they will need to advise each of them on which tier needs to be completed.
Updates
- Update letter for the CQC for any organisation to share with them if you are receiving any queries regarding the status of the training
- Devon Brochure Development and Delivery Project 2023-25
- Project updates 04/03
New draft code of practice is now released
- Standard 1: All staff receive training that covers a minimum curriculum of capabilities from the ‘Core capabilities framework for supporting people with a learning disability’ and the ‘Core capabilities framework for supporting autistic people’ on the Skills for Health Supporting autistic people and/or people with a learning disability page. Further training beyond this minimum curriculum is proportionate and tailored to the requirements of staff at different levels and in different roles, taking into account the tiers and capabilities set out in the core capabilities frameworks.
- Standard 2: All staff receive training that enables them to explore how they will put their learning into practice. Examples include tailored materials and learning tools to help staff understand how to apply their learning to their specific work setting and the people they work with.
- Standard 3: All staff receive a minimum amount of live and interactive training that is co-produced and co-delivered by people with a learning disability and autistic people. For staff who require a general awareness of learning disability and autism, this is a minimum of one hour of live and interactive training with a person with a learning disability and an autistic person. For staff with responsibility for providing care and support for a person or people with a learning disability or autistic people and for staff with a higher level of autonomy, who manage complex care or lead on learning disability and autism services, this is a minimum of one day of in-person training. This is in addition to a compulsory e-learning module of at least 90 minutes covering the tier 1 capabilities set out in Standard 1 which all staff must complete.
- Standard 4: All staff receive training that is based on evidence and is quality-assured through trialling, ongoing evaluation and accreditation. People with a learning disability and autistic people must be meaningfully involved in these processes.
How social care providers can access the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
The training is delivered in one of two Tiers. It’s the employers’ responsibility to ensure their staff have the appropriate training for their roles and they will need to advise staff on whether they should complete Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Tier 1 of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who require general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need. The tier 1 training structure includes eLearning and the 1 hour online interactive session co-delivered by a person with a learning disability and an autistic person along with a facilitator.
All staff who require a general awareness of the support that autistic people or people with a learning disability may need are expected to receive training that covers all tier 1 capabilities from the core capabilities frameworks. The tier 1 package of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism covers all tier 1 capabilities from the core capabilities frameworks. Tier 1 package content covers:
- Understanding learning disability
- Understanding autism
- Reasonable adjustments
- Self-reflection on our own attitudes and behaviours
Tier 2 of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who may need to provide care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability. The Tier 2 training structure includes the eLearning and 1 day face to face training co-delivered a person with a learning disability and an autistic person and trainer.
Health and social care staff with responsibility for providing direct treatment, care, or support, and other professionals working in health and care settings with a high degree of autonomy are expected to complete the tier 2 package of The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. This should include, but is not limited to, regulated health professionals, registered managers, team leaders, students and trainees, care assistants, support workers, educators and staff such as those allied health professionals conducting functional assessments and those that conduct capacity, best interest and Mental Health Act assessments.
The tier 2 package covers all tier 1 capabilities from the core capabilities frameworks and maps to an essential selection of key learning outcomes from tier 2 capabilities in the core capabilities frameworks, including the following:
- Avoiding diagnostic overshadowing
- Frequently co-occurring conditions (co-morbidities)
- The laws: Mental Capacity Act 2005, Human Rights Act 1998, Autism Act 2009, Equality Act 2010, Accessible Information Standard
- Reasonable adjustments including hospital passports
- Culture (professional bias and subconscious beliefs) and professional behaviour and its 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, which is about making it easier for people, families and paid carers to give feedback, raise concerns and complain and supporting organisations to learn from that feedback.
- Stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both (STOMP) and Supporting treatment and appropriate medication in paediatrics (STAMP)
- Learning from LeDeR
- Appropriate application of DNACPR
eLearning
The eLearning package is now live on the eLearning for healthcare website (eLfH). The eLearning session has been co-created and delivered with experts by experience. The content of the eLearning session is mapped to the Tier 1 learning outcomes of the Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting Autistic People and the Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting People with a Learning Disability. It should take you 90 minutes to complete. In order to receive a certificate, you will be asked to complete both the pre- and post-eLearning surveys. Each survey should take between 5–10 minutes to complete. Check out the Skills for Care guide on how to access the eLearning.
eLearning session covers:
- Section 1 – Introduction
- Section 2 – Understanding learning disability
- Section 3 – Understanding autism
- Section 4 – Communication
- Section 5 – Reasonable adjustments
- Section 6 – Summary
How to create an account for eLfH
You will have to register with eLfH to access the eLearning training. You will be asked to enter an email address and provide details about your current role and workplace location. Support is available with step-by-step guides and videos.
Grey Matter Learning
The Oliver McGowan eLearning is now available to access through Click with Grey Matter. All Devon care providers have part funded access. The team can allocate the course to your account so you can allocate it to your learners under the following conditions:
- The course is supplied by NHS England – eLearning for Health.
- By accessing the course on Click your agree to comply with the e-LfH Terms and Conditions.
- Grey Matter Learning do not charge for access to this course and it is available free of charge as an additional resource for any one with a Click account. You must only allocate this courses to colleagues who are eligible to access this course through the eLearning for Health Website.
- This resource has been co-produced with people with lived experience of a learning disability, autism, or both, along with family and parent carers, parents, professionals and other subject matter experts across a range of services.
- Further information on the The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, including additional training requirements, can be found here.
- With acknowledgement to: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Inclusion Gloucestershire, Family Partnership Solutions Community Interest Company and Gloucestershire County Council
Sign up for the Grey Matter Learning account and contact the Grey Matter team to get the course allocated to your accounts. If you have any questions or concerns about these conditions please get in touch before you start to allocate the course to your learners.
Online interactive session and face to face training
Eventbrite page for booking on dates for Tier 1 Part 2 sessions and any Tier 2 Part 2 sessions that have available spaces with Living Options.
Training providers across UK, this list contains the contact details of training providers who have a team of trainers approved to deliver Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 of Oliver’s Training.
