Progress on planning and delivery of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism

In July the Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a requirement that regulated service providers ensure their staff receive training on learning disability and autism which is appropriate to the person’s role. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the standardised training that was developed for this purpose and is the government's preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff to undertake. 

Our progress in the Midlands is progressing at pace.

Integrated care board engagement

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have been supported by the HEE Midlands Mental Health Learning Disability and Autism Programme team, to develop implementation plans for the delivery of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, and most systems now have early plans in place.

Tier 1 Train the Trainer

ICBs are currently being supported to identify training trios, consisting of an expert with lived experience in learning disability, an expert with lived experience in autism and co-facilitators (subject matter expert), to be trained through the HEE invested train the trainer training. These HEE invested training sessions began on Monday 12 December and continue through to the end of February. These trained trios will cascade the training to increase the trainer capacity across the system, and begin delivery of the Oliver McGowan mandatory training.

Tier 2 Train the Trainer

ICBs are being supported to identify a single lead trainer, to be trained through the HEE invested Train the Trainer training, which takes place across seven cohorts between January and May 2023. These tier 1 trained trios and tier 2 lead trainers will begin the training cascade to increase the trainer capacity across the system, and begin the delivery of the Oliver McGowan mandatory training.

Webinars and expressing interest

• A virtual workshop was delivered to ICB leads, led by Skills for Care on the Thursday 8 December, with the purpose of providing an overview of the social care sector.
• A Midlands webinar to support the engagement of regional self-advocacy groups with system leads, will be taking place on Friday 20 January between 13:00 and 14:15.
• Experts with lived experience, subject matter experts, training providers or education providers across the region who are interested in being involved in the delivery of the training can complete the HEE expression of interest form.