For the mandatory requirement to deliver the Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 Programme.
Our background...
At Autism Together, it is our mission to empower autistic people to engage with and develop through their communities, so they can reach their full potential. No two autistic people are affected by the condition in the same way, so we work with every single individual to help them lead fulfilling lives.We started life in 1968, when a group of forwardthinking parents, concerned at the complete lack of services available for their children, decided to stand up and be counted.Since then, our organisation has grown and developed into one of the country’s leading providers of services for autistic people. We offer a wide range of Residential options, Supported Living, Day Services and Respite services in Wirral. Being personcentred is one of our core values and we live and breathe it. Not only do we support and care for autistic people, but we also engage with our community to highlight understanding, awareness, and acceptance. Our award-winning Learning Culture Team strive to develop learning opportunities to enhance our personcentred approach to supporting autistic individuals and people with learning disabilities.
About Oliver McGowan...
Autism Together is an approved provider of the Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 Training for Learning Disability & Autism, which is a mandatory requirement for all Health & Social Care Staff.
This training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose tragic death highlighted the need for health and social care staff to have better skills, knowledge and understanding of the support needs for autistic people and those with learning disabilities.
Oliver’s family campaigned tirelessly to drive improvements in health care for these individuals. Their determination led to the introduction of the Health & Social Care Act 2022, which enshrined the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Framework as a legislative requirement.
Health Education England and Skills for Care developed the training package, which is co-delivered by trainers with lived experience of a learning disability and/or autism. It is the standardised package that is recommended by national bodies. To support with the national rollout with health and social care providers, Autism Together can offer Tier 1 and Tier 2 at a competitive commercial rate.
Training Structure
Part 1
All staff who work in Health & Social Care must complete the eLearning package, regardless of the role they work in.
The eLearning session takes 90 minutes to complete.
Providers can access the eLearning session at the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism – eLearning for health, which can be found at portal.e-lfh. org.uk/Component/Details/781480
This session can be accessed for free, and a certificate will be issued on completion.
Part 2
Part 2 consists of two tiers, a) designed for those staff who do not provide direct care, and b) designed for those staff who do provide direct care for autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities.
Tier 1 Non Direct Care
For people who require general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need.
Tier 2 Direct Care
For people who may need to provide care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.
Tier 1 is for staff who require a general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need.
Tier 1 is delivered as a one-hour webinar led by three trainers, including two experts (in learning disabilities and autism) along with a facilitator.
The course outline can be found on Page 5 of this brochure.
Tier 2 is for staff who may need to provide direct care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.
Tier 2 is delivered as a 1-day faceto-face session by two experts (in learning disabilities and autism) along with a facilitator.
The course outline can be found on Page 6 of this brochure.
This webinar is completed by the workforce at Tier 1 level after they have completed the eLearning package. It forms Part 2 of the Tier 1 training.
It is a structured interactive discussion, built on questions that the learners send to the three trainers in advance of the webinar.
It follows the following format:
Course Content Tier 2 Structure Part 2 - Non Direct Care
Tier 2 is for staff who may need to provide direct care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.
Tier 2 is delivered as a 1-day face-to-face session by two experts (in learning disability and autism) and a facilitator. The first session of the training covers Learning Disability and the second session covers Autism.
AIM - To provide learners with an understanding of learning disabilities, best practices in health and social care settings, and how this is supported by current legislation.
Learning Disability Objectives:
• Improve our understanding of learning disabilities through best practice in health and social care settings.
• Better understand the lives and experiences of people with learning disabilities, and recognise their strengths and contributions.
• Explore factors which impact on the quality of care and support of people with a learning disability.
• Understand the key findings from the ‘Learning from Lives and Deaths review’ (LeDeR).
• Know what reasonable adjustments are and how to make them.
Autism Objectives:
• Understand why autism is described as an invisible condition.
• Reflect on personal values and beliefs in relation to autism.
• Recognise the unique strengths and challenges faced by autistic individuals.
• Identify potential triggers for anxiety in autistic individuals.
• Identify reasonable adjustments and ways to adapt practices to better support autistic individuals.
• Gain familiarity and understanding of relevant legislation and resources which promote inclusive and enabling services.
Meet the Facilitators
Our team of facilitators have a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with and supporting autistic people and those with learning disabilities. Most started their career at Autism Together as support workers, providing exceptional daily care and support.
We have a diverse skillset as a facilitating team, and can provide a range of training sessions. Our Lead Tier Facilitators can facilitate the delivery of all Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 sessions, and can also train experts.
All our facilitators are passionate and excited to support our Experts and provide exceptional training to your workforce.
Sue
Power
Oliver McGowan Training Facilitator
Sue joined our Learning Culture Team in August 2024, in a newly created position to support the implementation of the Oliver McGowan programme. Sue is responsible for the coordination of training delivery and supporting the Learning Facilitators and Experts in this.
Sue joined Autism Together in 2022, working directly with the people we support in Day Services. Sue has many years’ experience in the educationsector, firstly as a teaching assistant and then as an English teacher. She further developed her knowledge of autism and learning disabilities in her role as Education Lead for an autism diagnostic service, where she worked in partnership with individuals, families and external agencies.
Sue enjoys supporting and motivating others to achieve their goals. Her interests include the gym, reading and spending time with friends and family.
Michelle Walklett Training & Development Manager
Michelle started her career in care over 35 years ago, working in a day centre. She later joined our organisation as a Residential Social Worker at Raby Hall for some 11 years. During this time, Michelle became a team supervisor and part of the Assessment Centre for NVQs, where Michelle completed the Assessors Award and Verifiers Award.
Next, Michelle became a Training Officer. Part of her job was to implement induction training for new staff and continue to assess and verify NVQs, completing a Diploma in Learning & Development. In 2017 Michelle became Training & Development Manager at Autism Together.
Since then, she has gained a Diploma in Counselling for Adults and Children. She delivers a variety of health and social care courses alongside autism specialist training, and is a facilitator for the Oliver McGowan training course.
Meet the Facilitators
Mathew Nye
Oliver McGowan Tier 2
Lead Facilitator
Jill Peers
Oliver McGowan
Tier 1 & 2 Facilitator
Amanda Griffiths
Oliver McGowan Tier 2
Lead Facilitator
Mat was a caring and supportive person from an early age, aiding and supporting people to achieve. Completing his BA Hons Degree in Primary Education in 2010. He realised he wanted to support people on a one-to-one basis, which led him to Autism Together in 2011 where he honed his knowledge and understanding of autism. Throughout his 13 years with our charity, he has worked across Residential and Day Services, utilising a diverse skillset, and drawing on his experience within creative arts and IT. Mat has a sunny disposition, is adept at problem solving, and has a passion for continual growth, which has led him to management positions within Autism Together and eventually into the Learning Culture Team.
Jill started her career in health and social work over 14 years ago, feeling drawn to the sector having grown up with an autistic family member. During her time with Autism Together, Jill has supported autistic individuals within residential services, alongside managing and training teams to achieve their goals. Jill found her true calling within the training department, where her passion and creative personality is reflected in her training delivery and ability to connect with people. Jill has a genuine interest in the improvement of services for autistic individuals, and is a proud advocate for autistic people and their families. Jill believes in the importance of self-expression and encourages everyone she meets to be themselves, helping create environments where people are comfortable and can reach their learning potential.
Amanda joined the Learning Culture Team in August 2024. She has a background in teaching, starting as a teaching assistant in a specialist autism resource base within a mainstream secondary school where she developed a passion for working with autistic children, before completing her BA (Hons) English degree and PGCE, qualifying as an English and SEN teacher in 2013. She has worked extensively with children and young people aged 8-19 as a teacher in a specialist autism school where she developed a person-centred curriculum for each child. Amanda started her career with Autism Together in our supported living service and has also worked within our day services using her skills as a photographer and digital artist. She is passionate about improving the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Meet the Executive Team
Helen Bilton Director of People & Learning Culture
Helen joined Autism Together in July 2023. Since then, she has been instrumental in pioneering the implementation of the Oliver McGowan programme within our charity and working with health and social care partners across the North West.
Helen began her career in HR over 19 years ago and has many years working in the care industry at a senior level, devising workforce strategies to drive the people agenda.
Helen’s determination to promote the Oliver McGowan project has provided opportunities for some of the people the charity supports to become Experts by Experience, sharing their experiences of how autism and learning disabilities have affected their lives, learning new skills, improving confidence, and accessing paid employment.
“It’s a huge achievement for Autism Together to deliver this mandatory autism training to our workforce and to the wider care sector. It is vital that all staff working in health and social care are fully aware of the needs and difficulties autistic people, and individuals with learning disabilities, can experience - and be able to offer the right support.”
Helen Bilton
Angie Kemp Director of Operations & Oliver McGowan Guardian
The role of the Oliver McGowan Guardian is to safeguard the interests of our Experts by Experience.
This includes ensuring they are treated fairly, and that any reasonable adjustments are made to help them feel comfortable to deliver the training.
Angie has many years of experience supporting autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities, having worked her way from Support Worker to Director within Autism Together.
Meet the Experts
Our Oliver McGowan Experts
Autism Together has several trained experts with lived experience of autism and/or learning disabilities. Our first cohort of experts were drawn from people we support. The course has allowed them to share their experiences of how autism and learning disabilities have affected their lives. To celebrate their success, in summer 2024 we held our first awards ceremony from our Experts by Experience. This event involved family members of our Experts too, and showed the value and expertise each individual brings to the delivery of the Oliver McGowan programme.
Our organisation has already begun the process of recruiting more cohorts of talented experts from our communities, to support the further roll-out of this training. The initiative also creates important employment opportunities for our Experts, who are paid for each session they deliver.
Commercial Rates
Tier 1 Rates:
We offer a competitive rate for the 1-hour Webinar, delivered via Microsoft Teams. This can be priced per delegate or by group (up to a maximum of 20 delegates).
Delegates must complete the Part 1 eLearning session and submit their completed certificate to our Oliver McGowan inbox: olivermcgowan@autismtogether.co.uk
Tier 2 Rates: Interactive Webinar Session
Face-to-Face Training Session
We offer a competitive rate for the 1-day delivery, face-to-face session. This is mandatory. The session can be priced per delegate, or by group (up to a maximum of 30 delegates).
Sessions can be delivered at out training venue or at a location of your choice (within a reasonable distance). Additional travel costs will be added.
Delegates must complete the Part 1 eLearning session and submit their completed certificate to our Oliver McGowan inbox: olivermcgowan@autismtogether.co.uk
The sessions are co-produced. This is a mandatory requirement for the delivery of all sessions. Our Experts by Experience will always be placed at the very heart of this programme.
If we are unable to deliver the sessions due to extenuating circumstances, we will reschedule the programme for the next available session.
To get a quote for delivery of the Oliver McGowan Training, to enquire about future sessions, or to make a booking, please call our Training Team on 0151 482 3135 or email: olivermcgowan@autismtogether.co.uk
