Godfrey Care are excited to announce the launch of our Oliver McGowan Mandatory Autism and Learning Disability Training, commencing from 2025.

The Health and Care Act (2022) introduced a statutory requirement that regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive Learning Disability and Autism training appropriate to their role. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff. The training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training.

Godfrey Care’s service teams receive specialist Autism and Learning Disability training as part of our established model of care and support for highly complex needs, and we are committed to providing the highest possible quality of training. From 2025, our new training programmes will be delivered by our Oliver McGowan Certified Trainers, who are experienced clinicians within our Specialist Support Team, and our Experts by Lived Experience of a Learning Disability and Autism.  The programme will be licensed by NHS England.

Andy Fairman, PBS Clinical Lead at Godfrey Care, said:

“While we appreciate that some parts of the adult social care system have not adopted this training and have selected their own training pathways, Godfrey Care have pledged to deliver this programme as we firmly believe that, as a specialist provider, this is the right path for us to pursue as part of Oliver McGowan’s legacy.”

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism has been co-produced, trialled with over 8,300 health and care staff and independently evaluated by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi). It ensures that the UK’s health and social care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability.