by Sonya Cox, Best Practice Facilitator
Oliver McGowan was an active, much-loved 18-year-old who relished playing football. He was autistic and had epilepsy. He died in 2016 after he was prescribed an anti-psychotic drug during a seizure, against his and his parents’ wishes.
Oliver McGowan Training
Oliver's parents campaigned tirelessly following his death and Oliver’s legacy is the Oliver McGowan Learning Disability and Autism Training. It is now mandatory for NHS and care staff to have training in learning disabilities and autism, and the government's preferred method is the Oliver McGowan Training.
MacIntyre’s approach
At MacIntyre, we deliver Oliver McGowan training to all our frontline staff, and the training is delivered jointly by facilitator trainers and co-trainers who have lived experience.
Reviewing our progress
In February 2024 I had the privilege of getting together with our co-trainers and facilitator trainers to review our experiences of the implementation of the Oliver McGowan Training programme. We talked about feedback from staff on the training, personal experiences of training and our highlights.
With the group’s consent, I am proud to be able to share everyone’s thoughts from this with you today in World Autism Acceptance Week and aim to celebrate our strengths, skills, gifts and passions.
What have been your highlights when delivering training?
- Celebrating our individuality
- Listening to people and helping them with their questions
- Sharing our experiences and raising awareness about autism and learning disabilities
- Helping people to understand other people’s perspectives
- Meeting new people and visiting new places
- Meeting people who are kind and respectful
- Getting to visit the school
- Working as part of a team
- Getting to use a swimming pool at the hotel we stayed in
What personal highlights have you taken from training?
- It has been a big confidence boost (everyone agreed)
- I am proud to be part of the working world
- I enjoy my job, I am having fun (everyone agreed)
- It gives me a buzz at the end of the day!
- I am doing things now that I didn’t have the confidence to do before
- I have made more connections with other people
- I feel closer to some staff
- I am learning different ways to communicate and help others learn
- I have learnt a lot of new things, it is really interesting
- I am more independent now than I was before
- I feel rewarded as my job has meaning
Personal achievements our co-trainers have made since becoming trainers…
- One of our co-trainers has recently been diagnosed as being autistic
- A number of trainers have been approached by other people to answer questions, support with projects or work both within MacIntyre and outside of MacIntyre
- Phoning various radio stations to complete competitions, winning a number of prizes, including tickets to see famous people!
- Travelling more independently
- Delivering other courses, such as signing
- Becoming chair for the online Autism Network
- More attendance to meetings within MacIntyre to share views and experiences
What do our staff have to say about training?
The overall feedback from training has been hugely positive, with much praise being given to our co-trainers in particular. Below are just a handful of quotes taken directly from feedback forms:
Absolutely wonderful having experienced facilitators
Co-trainer perspectives were very insightful and genuinely helpful. The best delivered / most interesting training that I have had at MacIntyre
Refreshing
Thank you so much to the co-trainers
Eye opening training
Having experts by experience run training was beneficial and really helped my understanding
Very important and informative training. I specialise in Autism but have learnt a lot more about our trainer’s experiences and information discussed, so a big thank you
I learnt a lot
Actions staff have identified they will take following this training
I will use this knowledge and experience to help the people I support
I will aim to be more patient and allow time to process information
I will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place as there is no reason why they shouldn’t be!
I will continue to advocate for people with learning disabilities and autistic people to ensure their voices are heard
I will look at more ways to help problem solve difficulties someone may be having
I will try to see the world from the autistic person’s perspective
I will advocate for person I support so medical staff listen to their views
I will ensure hospital passports and documents are in place, up to date and shared
I will slow down and think more regarding shutdowns and meltdowns
A big thanks to everyone
As a team we would like to thank all staff who have attended training with us and supported us all to learn and continue to grow. We have taken much from yourselves just as you have learnt from us. All facilitator trainers have agreed that our relationships with our co-trainers have grown stronger over the past six months and all courses have been met with positivity, kindness and compassion by all of you, for which we are truly grateful and want to celebrate.
It shows that MacIntyre’s DNA is working in practice and we have a great team of compassionate people on board. The aim of this training has always been to create cultural change, particularly in the health sector, and with such feedback we can be reassured that positive cultures are held in MacIntyre.
Growing in confidence
We have all grown as trainers and can see the growth in confidence of our colleagues. It has been a privilege to work with you all these past few months and I look forward to more positive outcomes to come. So please help us to celebrate our achievements and continue to lead by example, paving the way to a future where everyone has fair access to health and care services.
