Oliver McGowan Training: What Care Providers Need to Know

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government's preferred and recommended way to meet a legal duty in force since 1 July 2022: CQC-registered health and social care providers in England must make sure staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. A statutory code of practice, final since 6 September 2025, sets the standards.

This guide covers where the training comes from, what the law and the code require, how the tiers work, and where other autism training fits.

Oliver's story

Oliver McGowan was a teenager from a military family. He had a mild learning disability, was autistic and had epilepsy. He was repeatedly prescribed antipsychotic medication, even though his medical notes recorded severe reactions to these drugs. He developed a severe side effect that caused brain damage, and he died on 11 November 2016.

The code of practice includes Oliver's story, told by his mother, Paula McGowan OBE. It puts the reason for the training plainly: "Oliver died because clinicians did not understand learning disability, autism and how this affects a person." Paula and her husband, Tom, campaigned for health and care staff to be trained, and the training carries Oliver's name.

What the law requires

Section 181 of the Health and Care Act 2022 amended the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Since 1 July 2022, registered providers must ensure that everyone working in their regulated activities receives training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. The requirement is read as part of Regulation 18 (staffing).

Who it covers:

• All CQC-registered providers of health and adult social care in England, including NHS trusts, GP and dental practices, independent healthcare, independent ambulance services and adult social care.
• All staff, not just those giving hands-on care. CQC has said it includes ancillary staff such as receptionists and cleaners, at a level that fits their role.

The duty applies in England. If you run services in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, check what the Care Inspectorate, CIW or RQIA expect.

The Oliver McGowan code of practice

The 2022 Act also required the government to publish a code of practice. A draft was laid before Parliament on 19 June 2025, and GOV.UK confirms that the Oliver McGowan code of practice became final on 6 September 2025. CQC must take the code into account. A provider that departs from it needs good reasons and must show it meets the legal requirement another way.

The code sets four standards that any training must meet:

1. Content: a minimum curriculum drawn from the core capabilities frameworks for supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people.
2. Application: it helps staff apply what they learn to their own role and setting.
3. Live and interactive delivery: it includes live sessions co-delivered by people with lived experience, on top of any e-learning.
4. Evidence and quality: it is evidence-based and quality-checked, with meaningful involvement of people with lived experience.

Providers can use other training, but it must meet all four standards. Staff must complete the training at least every three years, or sooner if their role changes or a learning need is identified.

The tiers explained

The training is split by role.

• Tier 1: for staff who need general awareness of people with a learning disability and autistic people. It is a 90-minute e-learning module plus a one-hour live online interactive session.
• Tier 2: for staff who provide direct care or support, and professionals with a high degree of autonomy. It is the same 90-minute e-learning plus a one-day face-to-face session.

E-learning alone doesn't meet the code. The live sessions must be co-delivered by, at a minimum, one person with a learning disability and one autistic person. Family members and carers can support delivery but can't replace them. Both tiers cover reasonable adjustments, and Tier 2 includes tools such as hospital passports.

Some staff will need more. The code says providers must consider routes for further, Tier 3 training, such as apprenticeships, vocational or subject-specific training. It also notes the Oliver McGowan training doesn't cover diagnosis, interventions or treatments.

Deciding who needs which tier

Map every role, not just care roles. A cook or a maintenance worker may need Tier 1, while support workers, nurses and team leaders will usually need Tier 2. Write down how you reached each decision. CQC has said providers should be able to show how they decided what training a person needs, including when they decided someone doesn't need it.

Who delivers it and how to access it

• The e-learning is on the elearning for healthcare hub.
• The live sessions can only be delivered by training providers recognised through the programme's own quality process. Providers either buy the training from one of them or go through that process themselves.
• Funding: CQC-registered adult social care providers in England can claim back some of the cost of Tier 1 and Tier 2 through the government's Learning and Development Support Scheme. The current list covers training paid for between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2027, and can change, so check it before you pay.

Where autism awareness training fits

The Oliver McGowan training sets a shared baseline across health and care. It isn't designed to give every team in-depth knowledge of the specific people they support. That's where additional training can help, as long as it sits alongside the Oliver McGowan training and never replaces it.

On shift, the gaps tend to look like this. A support worker knows that change is hard for an autistic man she supports, but not how to prepare him for a new member of staff. A team understands reasonable adjustments in principle, but not how to rebuild a routine after a hospital stay. Additional sessions focused on your service help close those gaps.

If you support people with complex needs, our positive behaviour support training and Down's syndrome awareness training add further depth. For how this duty fits with the rest of your training matrix, see mandatory training for care workers: what CQC expects.

How Kasorb can help

To be clear: Kasorb doesn't deliver the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, and our course isn't a substitute for it.

Our autism awareness training is additional awareness training that adds depth alongside it. It covers what autism is, common misconceptions, causes and characteristics, anxiety and autism, structure and predictability, autism and empathy, supporting autistic people and ways of working. Your trainer has used these skills for real, and uses case studies that reflect the people your staff support, so the strategies make sense on shift.

It's a half-day session, on-site anywhere in the UK or live online, at one flat rate for the day, and you can run two sessions on the same day at no extra cost. Certificates are emailed the next day.

This guide summarises the law and guidance; it isn't legal advice.

FAQs

Is the Oliver McGowan training mandatory?

The law requires CQC-registered providers in England to train staff in learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is the government's preferred and recommended way to do that. Providers can use other training, but it must meet all four standards in the statutory code of practice.

What is the difference between Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2?

Both start with the same 90-minute e-learning. Tier 1 adds a one-hour live online session and is for staff who need general awareness. Tier 2 adds a one-day face-to-face session and is for staff who provide direct care or support, and professionals with a high degree of autonomy.

How often does Oliver McGowan training need to be refreshed?

The code of practice says staff must complete the training at least every three years. They should do it sooner if their role changes or a learning need is identified. Keep a record of each person's tier and refresh date.

Can an autism awareness course replace the Oliver McGowan training?

Not unless it meets all four standards in the code of practice, including live sessions co-delivered by a person with a learning disability and an autistic person. Kasorb's autism awareness course is additional training that adds depth alongside the Oliver McGowan training. It isn't a replacement for it.

Does the Oliver McGowan training apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

The legal duty in the Health and Care Act 2022 and the code of practice apply to CQC-registered providers in England. Services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are regulated by the Care Inspectorate, CIW and RQIA, so check their expectations for learning disability and autism training.