Oliver McGowan Training

I had my Tier 1, Part 2 Training yesterday - online on Teams. And just wanted to say how good (overall) it was. 

The discussion from the two people with lived experience was one of the most useful bits of training I have had in a very long time. For me, the thoughts from the Autistic person were not new knowledge. But the thoughts from the person with a Learning Disability and Autism were a fresh, insightful reminder of how to better speak and treat people with learning disabilities.

There were a few painful parts from me:

1. That the training was provided by a private (non-NHS) Company hence making profit from providing the talk.

2. The facilitator was awful - patronising and seeming totally not thinking that she needed to take on board the advice that the speakers were teaching us.

3. It was a complete trigger for me and I felt quite awful afterwards.

4. That I felt I should have come out on the talk. It's funny. There I was and I wondered. Did the lived experience people know that there would be neurodivergent listeners right there with them 'in the room' as it were?

5. That it should be Part 1 of the Training. Much much better than the current part 1 - apologies to those who have tried to help with Part 1 to engage the reader, but the endless elearning just sucks the life out of it.

Anyone else done this training?

Parents
  • What is this training ans whats it supposed to achieve?

  • Hi. I'm not the best person to answer this question, so maybe one for  

    The second part of your question is a particularly difficult one to answer.

    It is training, for those who work in health and social care, in autism and learning disabilities. It was spearheaded by Oliver McGowan's mum following Oliver's death which is why it is called the Oliver McGowan training. 

  • Ok thanks  

    I delegated to and asked an a reliable AI:

    "please provide a brief overview of "Oliver McGowan training" including why it came about and who it is presented to in answer to a question about it in an autism chat room. Specific audience for this an autistic person late diagnosed who has come to terms with their diagnosis reasonable well and is a retired mental health professional
    The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is a landmark programme in the UK designed to ensure health and social care staff have the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate care for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
     
    Why it exists
    The training is named after Oliver McGowan, a 18-year-old autistic teenager with a mild learning disability who died in 2016. His death was the result of being given antipsychotic medication against his and his parents' express will, highlighting a critical lack of understanding among medical staff regarding: 
    • Neurodivergent communication and sensory needs.
    • The "diagnostic overshadowing" where physical symptoms are ignored and attributed to a person’s autism/disability.
    • The legal and ethical requirements of Reasonable Adjustments. 
    Following a long campaign by his mother, Paula McGowan OBE, the government made this training a legal requirement under the Health and Care Act 2022. 
    Who it is for
    The training is presented to all health and social care staff regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England. This includes: 
    • Tier 1: For those who require general awareness (e.g., receptionists, administrative staff, maintenance).
    • Tier 2: For those with direct clinical or care responsibilities (e.g., doctors, nurses, social workers, paramedics). 
    Key Features
    • Co-delivery: A unique aspect of this training is that it is co-produced and co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability.
    • Two-Part Structure: It consists of an e-learning module followed by either an interactive online session (Tier 1) or a full-day face-to-face workshop (Tier 2). 
    Given your background in the profession, you might find it interesting that the training specifically aims to bridge the gap between "clinical expertise" and the "lived experience" that was so tragically missed in Oliver's case. 
    Would you like to know more about the specific core capabilities the training covers, or perhaps how you might get involved as an expert by experience?"
    Hope the answer is OK
    Best wishes
  • just realised what I wrote can be read two ways - i appreciate why you couldn't explain it - I offered an explanation for why it happened...  Sorry for my mistake best wishes

  • I completely agree  

    I might know how to explain it - prejudice and discrimination spring to mind...

    tricky for me not to get really cross thinking about such things.

    Thanks

    Best Wishes

  • Thank you for your help. It's such an upsetting thing to me what happened to Oliver, that I didn't know quite how to explain it. Your help is appreciated x

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