STATUTORY TRAINING · TIER 1
The awareness-level tier of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training — for staff whose role doesn't involve direct caregiving or decisions about someone's care, such as admin, reception, HR and facilities. It's still a legal requirement, and it still matters.
WHY THIS TRAINING CARRIES HIS NAME
Oliver was an 18-year-old autistic young man with a learning disability and epilepsy. In 2016, he died after being given an antipsychotic medication against his and his family's wishes — a death a national review later called potentially avoidable. His mother, Paula McGowan, campaigned for change, and in 2022 training in his name became a legal requirement for every CQC-registered health and social care provider in England.
WHO NEEDS TIER 1
The Health and Care Act 2022 created a legal duty for CQC-registered providers to give staff learning disability and autism training suited to their role. Tier 1 is that requirement for people whose day-to-day work isn't direct, hands-on care.
Anyone whose role brings occasional contact but not direct caregiving.
Roles that support a care service without delivering care themselves.
A solid awareness foundation before moving into a more direct-care role.
If your role involves regular, direct contact or decisions about someone's care, you likely need Tier 2 instead.
FUNDING
Eligible adult social care employers can claim funding towards Oliver McGowan Tier 1 through the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS), run by Skills for Care. Here's how it works with us.
£15 per delegate
Guide price, provisional pending launch.
Funding is subject to employer eligibility, the scheme's rules and available government funding. Reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Book your team onto Tier 1 with us. We'll send an invoice, and a receipt once it's paid.
Your staff complete the e-learning and the interactive session. We provide a certificate of completion for each delegate.
Claim through the scheme's digital claims service using your Skills for Care ASC-WDS account, ahead of the scheme deadline.
Once your claim is approved, you're reimbursed up to £25 per delegate for Tier 1 — covering our £15 price in full.
Illustrative example — training 20 members of staff
Illustration assumes 20 eligible delegates at our current £15 Tier 1 price, full reimbursement within the scheme's £25-per-delegate maximum, and a successful claim. Excludes any additional costs and is not a guarantee of funding.
FUNDING FAQ
Adult social care employers in England with an up-to-date Skills for Care Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) account, whose service is registered with the CQC. Both regulated and non-regulated staff can be claimed for.
Not upfront — you pay us to book the course, then claim the cost back afterwards through the government scheme. At our current £15 Tier 1 price, that's fully reclaimable against the scheme's £25-per-delegate maximum.
No — you submit your own claim, through the scheme's digital claims service using your ASC-WDS account. We give you an invoice, a payment receipt, and a completion certificate for each delegate to support it.
This particular scheme is for CQC-registered adult social care providers, not NHS trusts. If you're an NHS organisation, your own workforce or OD team will be able to tell you how Oliver McGowan Training is funded for your staff.
WHAT'S COVERED
Tier 1 has two parts: a short e-learning module (completed independently, free, via the NHS's own national platform), and a live interactive session that we deliver either online or in person, whichever works best for your team.
How autism and learning disability can affect the way someone communicates.
Understanding sensory processing and its effect on day-to-day interactions.
Why people with a learning disability and autistic people can face worse health outcomes.
Practical ways to interact well, whatever your role.
Tier 1 often gets treated as a box to tick. We don't run it that way — Sam, Sue and Dan completed the Oliver McGowan Facilitator programme themselves, and deliver the interactive session live, online or in person, not as another recorded module.”
Individual attendance and facilitator completion are personal to Sam, Sue and Dan; this is separate from any organisation-level provider accreditation scheme.FORMAT & LOGISTICS
Staff complete the free national e-learning module in their own time, via the NHS's own platform.
We deliver the live interactive session online, or in person at Netherhall House or on-site.
Scheduled sessions or a commissioned programme for your organisation.
Direct care role? Tier 2 is the full-day, in-depth tier for anyone providing direct care or support.
See Tier 2 training →