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Oliver McGowan Training
The Oliver McGowan Training can be somewhat confusing and complex to truly understand what, why and how to access it, below we have put some FAQ's that will aim to provide some clarity to the training.
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The information below has been taken from our interpretation of the CQC standards, Government information and other guidance. Additionally as Trainers of the Oliver McGowan Training. For the most up to date guidance for the training please refer to the official website below.
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Is "Oliver McGowan" Training Mandatory?
No - is the short answer.
However Training in Learning Disabilities and Autism is Mandatory.
In 2022 the Health & Care Act 2022 came into place (not much noise was made about it) and in section 181 it states the requirement for all registered Health & Social Care organisations to have training in Autism and Learning Disabilities.
As part of that Health & Care Act 2022 it also states that a Code of Practice will be developed along side this to highlight the standards and requirements for the provision of training regarding Learning Disabilities and Autism.
The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice on statutory Learning Disability and Autism Training has closed its consultation and has not been published as final draft, (presumably the shift in political leadership has slowed this). There is a section on this with highlighting the standards and guidance on meeting the standards.
What does CQC say? "The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is the government's preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff to undertake to enable providers to meet the requirements of this regulation." - Training staff to support autistic people and people with a learning disability - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)
Much like other subjects in training and other requirements such as health & safety the organisation must deem what it sees as "reasonable" to meet these standards, if you do not adopt any form of the Oliver McGowan training, be prepared to answer the question of "Why?" and "What are you doing to meet the need for training in Learning Disabilities and Autism?".
It is widely thought that the brand of "Oliver McGowan" Training will be the one and only acceptable curriculum of training however this is not the case at this moment in time.
Why does everyone say we need Oliver McGowan Training?
Think of it as when you purchase a car, when you purchase from a main dealer rather than the person that sells cars from their back garden you will be likely to get a much more reliable vehicle, it will be quality assured and work in every way you expect it to.
This is the same for the Oliver McGowan Training, all trainers must undergo in depth training to equip them with the skills to train the subject, they will have the appropriate experience and be accompanied by co-trainers.
Oliver McGowan training is the only (to our knowledge) training of its kind that has been both developed and delivered by and with people with lived experience in both Autism and Learning Disabilities.
Because of this quality assurances NHS England have chosen to adopt this curriculum as part of their mandatory framework and following suit so has many local authorities as part of their contract and tendering process.
Why does the Oliver McGowan Training Cost so much?
There are several factors that attribute towards the cost of the Oliver McGowan training;
All courses MUST be delivered by a Facilitator and two co-trainers as experts by experience, one Autistic co-trainer and one person with Learning Disabilities. Just like any other trainer these co-trainers MUST be paid for their time training meaning there are up to 3 people's wages to cover.
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The Oliver McGowan training framework states that there MUST be co-trainers delivering the sessions, this being said if a co-trainer is to fall ill or not be able to attend for whatever reason the training session must be cancelled. Please be weary if someone says they will deliver the Oliver McGowan Training without co-trainers (persons with lived experience).
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Although most sessions can take place with 30 people attending it is not always possible to get maximum attendance therefore it is important to be able to cover the overheads of each session.
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Whole courses are always going to work out a lot cheaper as the people training know they are making their overheads and you can maximise the total course numbers of 30 people.
How do I Access the Oliver McGowan Training?
It's simple!
Tier 1&2 Part 1 you can access for FREE via the eLearning for Healthcare Portal, just register and search for the training. If you have one, you can even import this training to your own Learning Management System, its simple just ask the helpdesk when you login.
Tier 2 Part 2 (One day Training) you can find below; we currently serve the Somerset and Dorset area however looking to expand. We believe in transparency so all of our prices are included on the courses.
If you have any further questions, queries or problems please feel free to get in touch with us using the Contact us form.
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