Oliver McGowan Training: The Power of Lived Experience
What is Lived Experience?
At the heart of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training are experts with lived experience — Autistic people and people with a Learning Disability who are trained as co-trainers. They work alongside professional facilitators to co-design content, lead learning activities, and share insight drawn from their own experiences.
These experts share what it actually feels like to access Health and Social Care — how environments, communication styles, and attitudes can either empower or exclude. Their insight brings the learning to life, helping organisations reflect openly on real experiences and understand how to apply compassionate care in practice.
This is exactly what the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice was designed to achieve.
You can learn more about Oliver’s story here:
Visit the official Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
Transforming Culture, not just Compliance
The training is not another tick box requirement — it exists because people like Oliver were failed when their needs weren’t understood.
This responsibility extends across the entire sector. People with a Learning Disability or Autism live in every community and access every type of service — from GP practices and community teams to residential and nursing homes. Even within older adult care, undiagnosed or late-diagnosed conditions are common, meaning that many individuals may have needs that are not immediately recognised.
When professionals understand and value lived experience, they become better equipped to interpret behaviour, adapt environments, and communicate in ways that prevent distress.
Empowering the voices of Lived Experience
Behind every co-delivered session is a network of support. At Care Business Associate Training, experts with lived experience receive ongoing mentoring and logistical support to ensure they are fully supported before, during and after training. Many are in paid employment for the first time, and the impact on confidence is profound.
“Watching our experts grow into their roles has been one of the most rewarding parts of this programme,” says Elaine Warner, Managing Director at Care Business Associate Training.
“They’re not guests in the room, they are leaders of learning. Their professionalism and courage drive the change this sector needs.”
It also ensures that experts are paid fairly and recognised as professionals in their own right — modelling the inclusivity that this training promotes.
Guidance and Support
Funding remains available through Skills for Care’s Learning and Development Support Scheme until March 2026, covering both Tier 1 and Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programmes.
Now is the time to place lived experience at the heart of learning.
Below are some key resources to guide your organisation through the next steps:
- Click here to view Core Capabilities Frameworks for supporting Autistic people and people with a Learning Disability
- Click here to view the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice
- Click here to view funding guidance – Learning and Development Support Scheme
To find out more about our accredited training or to access guidance and support, please contact us.