Autism Together is an approved provider of the Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2 Training for Learning Disability & Autism, which is a mandatory requirement for all health and social care staff.
We deliver this co-produced training through a combination of our Learning Culture staff and our team of co-trainers. These co-trainers each have lived experience of autism, learning disabilities, or both.
Many of our co-trainers are people we support at Autism Together, for whom learning to deliver Oliver McGowan training has given them increased confidence and a host of new social and work skills, while being paid to deliver the training too.
Here we look at the hugely positive impact of becoming a co-trainer on one of the people we support, Dan…
Prior to attending our services, Dan was in paid employment with Safeway, where he was responsible for stock rotation and replenishing. Dan really enjoyed his role at the supermarket but, unfortunately, was made redundant. Following this, Dan lost a lot of confidence and did not manage to secure further employment. He was referred to our organisation in 2017 and has been attending our day services since then.
When he started at Autism Together, Dan was very shy and it took him a while to feel comfortable around his new support staff and peers. He began accessing what was then called our Social Enterprise service. Activities included going for days out on a narrowboat, learning safety procedures and life skills. Dan began to build relationships with staff and other people we support, and this helped him enjoy the activities much more and really look forward to his scheduled days in our services.
However, when the country went into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, day services had to close and all staff were redeployed to other services. This was a struggle for Dan, who had become used to his new routine, meaning that he began to feel very isolated at this time. Fortunately, he had his family around him for support but, for Dan, being unable to carry on with these new activities felt very unfair and difficult. He said: “I had just started to get used to the new people, which takes me a long time, and then we were told we had to stay at home. I felt upset but I understood that we had to be safe.”
When day services reopened early in 2022, Dan returned to our services but with fresh changes to get used to. With Covid still impacting our services, Dan’s staff needed to find other suitable activities for him. He decided to join the group of people we support based at Port Sunlight River Park. This park is on a regenerated site that was a former landfill. Owned by the Land Trust, Autism Together were supporting the park ranger by helping to work on the land, while managing the onsite café and kiosk.
To join this group was a fantastic opportunity for Dan and he began attending four days a week, finding this to be the perfect placement. He enjoys getting involved in a variety of activities at the River Park including mowing the grass, building planters, litter picking, and general gardening tasks. Being here has also reignited Dan’s passion for art! He creates information posters, product advertisements, along with drawings and signs for the park’s seasonal trails at Halloween and Easter, which are organised by the people we support there. Dan has great relationships with all the staff at the park, while making a fantastic group of friends amongst the people we support whom he socialises with outside of Autism Together.
In February 2024, Dan and some of the other people we support were offered the opportunity to become involved with the Oliver McGowan Project. Dan said: “I was unsure at first, as I had no idea what it would be like and the thought of standing up in front of strangers was scary for me.”Â
Some of Dan’s peers wanted to find out further information about this opportunity and arranged to attend a three-day training course. After discussing the project with his friends from River Park, Dan decided to attend the initial training to become a co-trainer with lived experience of autism. When asked what helped him to make the decision to take part, Dan expressed feeling supported by his peers, saying: “Being with my mates gives me confidence to try new things, as I know we are all doing the same thing together. I learnt about Oliver’s story and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Since completing the three-day Autism Expert Training, Dan has delivered over 15 Tier-2 face-to-face sessions and has completed the Teaching Others training for Tier-1 webinars. The change in his confidence and self-belief has been fantastic. Dan is so proud of himself and it’s plain for all to see. He says: “I never thought that I would be able to deliver this training to people, and at first I was so nervous in the build up to sessions. The first time I delivered to the NHS I was so scared. I thought it would be like going to the doctors and they would all wear suits, but they were lovely and made me feel at ease.”
As a reasonable adjustment, Dan had a support worker with him who knows him well to provide reassurance and moral support. Dan had also worried about what to wear for delivering training, as he has sensory differences around fabric and had thought ion advance he would have to wear a suit.
“I want to look smart,” Dan said, “but I can’t focus if I am wearing uncomfortable clothes. My support staff and the other trainers reassured me that I can wear smart, casual clothes and still deliver the training. Now I feel a lot more at ease.
“I still get nervous before sessions, but I know I can do it and I feel more confident every time I deliver. I am happy to share my thoughts and how my differences affect me. I know the trainer will help me. I even feel confident enough to not have my support staff with me, but I know they are always available if I need them one day, if I feel anxious or unsure.
“I take a stress ball with me into sessions and I find this can help me if I start to feel anxious. I want to keep getting more confident and deliver to more people. I also like getting paid and it makes me feel happy to have money to spend.”
In 2025, Dan and his co-trainer friends from the project were winners of the Co-Production of the Year Award at Autism Together’s internal awards. They all had a fantastic evening at Thornton Hall and were thrilled to be able to go up on stage and receive their trophy amid wild applause from the audience. Following this, the entire training team were also finalists at the prestigious National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards in the Co-Produced Training category. This recognition was hugely important and well deserved by all our trainers.
Dan’s family and support staff have noticed the positive changes in him since becoming involved with the Oliver McGowan project. Dan’s mum, Sue, is delighted with his newfound enthusiasm for training and the visible improvement in him and his self-esteem, saying: “I am so proud of him and the difference in him is just amazing. He enjoys coming in to deliver the training and I am so thankful to everyone who has supported and reassured him along the way.”
Sue Power, Oliver McGowan Co-ordinator, said, “Dan has come such a long way. He is so much more confident now and I am proud to see him believing in himself. I look forward to seeing what the future brings for Dan, now that he can see potential in himself. Especially now that our Experts have won the Autism Together Co-Production Award, I feel there is no stopping them!”
