The government has introduced a new legal requirement (through the Health and Care Act 2022) for CQC registered care providers supporting people with learning disabilities or autism. The initiative has been brought to the forefront of the agenda after the Oliver McGowan campaign grew in awareness. The requirement is that from 1st July 2022, training must be delivered that is appropriate to the worker’s role. This is about making sure social care staff have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care.
What the Oliver McGowan Training means for care providers
The new guidelines apply to all care staff, not just specialist services. This means that many more staff members will need training appropriate to their role, even administrative staff who may have contact with service users.
There is currently no official training programme which means it is up to the health and social care providers to source. At Flourish, we have this covered through the various courses we offer. We will keep an eye on the Code of Practice which the government is planning to consult on and publish, and will make sure our courses are compliant.
What is Oliver McGowan Training?
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is delivered in two Tiers.
Tier 1
Tier 1 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who require general awareness of the support autistic people or people with a learning disability may need.
Tier 2
Tier 2 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for people who may need to provide care and support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.
CQC guidance on Oliver McGowan Training
The CQC have published this statement on "Training staff to support autistic people and people with a learning disability". The guidance allows you to arrange your own training as long as you continue to meet the requirements of the Health and Care Act 2022 and Regulation 18 of the fundamental standards.
Meanwhile, CQC provide guidance through “Right support, right care, right culture - How CQC regulates providers supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability”. CQC say they assess and inspect to see if staff are working with people appropriately, and if not, they will consider what training and support has been provided to care staff.
How the CQC will assess
Following the introduction of this requirement, they will be looking to see whether providers have provided learning disability and autism training, and have assessed the competencies of their staff following the training. In line with current inspection procedures, CQC will not be looking at the types of learning involved.
When assessing quality, the CQC will check that staff are competent to deliver care and treatment to all people using services – including those with a learning disability and autistic people. If you decide a member of staff doesn't need training, they will expect a record of how you came to that decision.
Specialist learning disability and autism courses
You can find the specialist courses that Flourish provide to support people working with learning disabilities and autism, in line with the Oliver McGowan Training guidance below:
- Autism awareness
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X Syndrome
- Mental Health, Dementia and Learning Disabilities Essentials
Highly recommended LD relevant courses:
- Communication Skills
- Conflict Management
- Continence Management
- Diabetes Essentials
- Dysphagia and choking
- Eating and Drinking Support
- Epilepsy Awareness
- Positive Behaviour Support and Non-Restrictive Practice
Browse our full course list here.
