Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training: A Leadership Guide for Care Providers
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training has become an important topic for health and social care providers across England.
For CQC-registered providers, it is not just another course to add to the training matrix. It reflects a wider expectation that staff understand autism and learning disability, recognise the importance of reasonable adjustments, and can translate that knowledge into safer, more respectful and more person-centred care.
This article explores what Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is, why it was introduced, who it applies to, what providers need to understand about Tier 1 and Tier 2 training, and how it should be approached as part of wider governance, quality assurance and regulatory readiness.
This article explains what Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is, why it was introduced, who it applies to, what the different tiers mean, and what care providers should be thinking about from a leadership and governance perspective.
What is Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training?
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is a training programme for health and social care staff.
It is designed to improve understanding of autism and learning disability across the health and care workforce. The training supports staff to think more carefully about communication, reasonable adjustments, person-centred care, dignity, choice and safer support.
The training is particularly relevant for services that support autistic people and people with a learning disability, but the legal training requirement applies more broadly to CQC-registered health and social care providers in England. Staff should receive learning disability and autism training that is appropriate to their role.
The government describes Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training as the preferred and recommended training package for health and social care staff. The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice sets out standards for training on learning disability and autism for CQC-registered providers and their staff.
Why was Oliver McGowan training introduced?
The training is named after Oliver McGowan, a young autistic man whose death highlighted serious concerns about the understanding of autism and learning disability within health and social care.
Oliver’s story brought national attention to the risks that can arise when people’s needs, communication, preferences and reasonable adjustments are not properly understood or acted upon. Following Oliver’s death, his family campaigned for better mandatory training so health and social care staff would be more equipped to support autistic people and people with a learning disability.
The purpose of the training is not only to improve awareness. It is intended to help staff build the knowledge and confidence needed to provide safer, more compassionate and more informed care.
Who brought in the requirement?
The legal requirement was introduced through the Health and Care Act 2022.
Since 1 July 2022, CQC-registered health and social care providers in England have been required to ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.
The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice became final on 6 September 2025. It sets out standards for how providers can meet the training requirement, including expectations around training content and delivery.
CQC guidance also makes clear that Regulation 18 does not require providers to use one named training package. However, providers are expected to ensure staff are appropriately trained, and the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice sets out how providers can meet the requirement.
Who is Oliver McGowan training for?
Oliver McGowan training is for health and social care staff working in CQC-regulated services.
This can include staff working in:
- Care homes
- Nursing homes
- Supported living services
- Domiciliary care
- Complex care services
- Learning disability services
- Autism services
- Hospitals and healthcare settings
- Community health and care services
- Specialist residential services
The level of training required depends on the staff member’s role and how they interact with autistic people and people with a learning disability.
For some staff, general awareness may be appropriate. For others, particularly those providing direct care, support or treatment, a deeper level of training will usually be needed.
What Is the Difference Between Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 Training?
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is delivered in tiers.
Tier 1 is generally for staff who need a general awareness of autism and learning disability. This may include staff who have limited contact with people using services, but who still need an understanding of how to interact appropriately and respectfully.
Tier 2 is for staff who provide care, support, treatment or interventions for autistic people or people with a learning disability. This is usually more detailed and practical, because these staff need to apply the learning directly in their day-to-day work.
The right tier will depend on the staff member’s role, responsibilities and level of contact.
For care providers, this means training decisions should not be based only on job titles. Leaders should consider what each staff member actually does, who they support and what knowledge they need to carry out their role safely and effectively.
What does this mean for care providers?
For providers, Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training should be treated as a leadership, governance and quality issue.
It is important to know who has completed training, which tier they have completed, and whether the training is suitable for their role. However, completion is only one part of the picture.
Providers should also consider whether training is being understood and applied in practice.
Useful questions for leaders include:
- Have staff completed the right level of training for their role?
- Is the training recorded clearly on the training matrix?
- Do staff understand how the learning applies to the people they support?
- Are communication needs reflected in care plans?
- Are sensory needs and reasonable adjustments understood by the team?
- Is learning reinforced through supervision, observations and team meetings?
- Can managers evidence staff competence, not just attendance?
- Are audits and quality assurance processes picking up any gaps?
- Would the service be able to explain its approach during CQC scrutiny?
These questions matter because training should not sit separately from care delivery. It should connect with the way staff communicate, plan care, respond to distress, make reasonable adjustments and support people’s rights, choices and independence.
How Oliver McGowan Training Supports Safer, More Person-Centred Care
It would be easy to view Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training as another regulatory requirement.
That would miss the point.
The training exists because autistic people and people with a learning disability have too often experienced health and care services that were not designed or delivered with their needs in mind.
For providers, this is an opportunity to strengthen culture, improve staff confidence and review whether services are genuinely person-centred.
In complex care, supported living, learning disability and autism services, the detail matters. Staff need to understand how a person communicates, what may cause distress, what helps them feel safe, how they make choices and what reasonable adjustments are needed.
In care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care and wider health and social care settings, the same principles apply. Autistic people and people with a learning disability may use any type of service, so staff need appropriate training for their role and environment.
A stronger approach to learning disability and autism training
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is an important step forward for the sector.
For providers, the challenge is to make sure it is not treated as a one-off exercise. The training should be part of a wider commitment to safe, informed and person-centred care for autistic people and people with a learning disability.
The strongest providers will not only ask whether the training has been completed.
They will ask whether it has made a difference.
A Partnership Supporting Training, Practice and CQC Readiness
Through our partnership with Care Business Associate Training (CBAT), Fulcrum Care can support providers in accessing specialist Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, while also helping them consider how that learning is embedded across their service.
CBAT brings dedicated health and social care training expertise, including Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 training for staff. Their role is to support providers with the training requirement itself, helping teams build better awareness and understanding of autism and learning disability.
Fulcrum Care’s role sits alongside this. We support providers with the practical, operational and regulatory side of implementation, helping services review whether training is reflected in care planning, staff knowledge, supervision, governance, quality assurance and day-to-day practice.
This joined-up approach is particularly valuable because training completion is only one part of the wider picture. Providers also need to consider whether staff can apply what they have learned, whether managers can evidence this clearly, and whether the service is prepared to demonstrate good practice during CQC scrutiny.
Together, CBAT and Fulcrum Care can help providers move from training completion to stronger evidence, safer practice and greater confidence.