Who should take Tier 2?
Tier 2 is aimed at professionals within the health and social care sector who are involved in providing care and support — nurses, care assistants, support workers, allied health professionals and clinical teams. If your staff deliver hands-on care, Tier 2 is the appropriate level under the Oliver McGowan framework.
Tier 2 is the enhanced level, intended for staff who regularly provide care or support. Staff who have only occasional contact need Tier 1 — send us your staff list and we will map roles to tiers for you.
A day co-delivered by lived experience
Our Tier 2 course is co-delivered by an expert with lived experience of a learning disability in the morning, and an expert with lived experience of autism in the afternoon — exactly as the Oliver McGowan delivery model requires.
Delegates consistently tell us this is what makes the day transformative rather than tick-box: hearing directly from Anthony and Alex about what good support looks and feels like from the inside. Alex describes leaving school at fifteen with no support in place. Anthony describes being promised a job and let down at the last minute. Managers hear, in plain terms, what their teams could do differently tomorrow.
Our team of Tier 2 certified experts with lived experience is Alex, Anthony and Maddie, who joined us in August 2026. Maddie brings lived experience of both autism and a learning disability, and has moved through mainstream and specialist education into work placements — so delegates hear a current, first-hand account of the support a young person actually receives today.
What the day covers
- Understanding learning disability and autism in depth, including co-occurring conditions
- The health inequalities that led to Oliver’s death, and the legal duties that followed
- Communication, sensory needs and environmental adjustments in practice
- Recognising and responding to distressed behaviour without escalation
- Mental capacity, consent and involving families properly
- Annual health checks, hospital passports and reasonable adjustments
- Practical scenario work drawn from your own setting
What changes on the ward or the floor
The purpose of the Oliver McGowan training is to close longstanding gaps in how learning disability and autism are understood by professionals — and to make sure staff have the knowledge, skills and understanding to provide safe, personalised care. By the end of the day, delegates are better equipped to:
- Communicate in ways that work for the individual, not the process
- Make reasonable adjustments confidently and without being asked
- Advocate for the needs of the people in their care
- Reduce the health inequalities that cost Oliver his life
- Uphold dignity and respect in day-to-day practice
We come to you
We deliver Tier 2 anywhere in the UK — at your own premises or a convenient local venue such as a hotel conference room. We arrange dates around your rota, and group bookings keep the cost per delegate down.
Funding may cover your booking
Eligible adult social care employers can access funding for Oliver McGowan training through Skills for Care. You will need a free ASC-WDS account, and because we are an approved provider with Skills for Care the claim process is smooth. We will walk you through it when you enquire — the pot is limited, so it pays to book early.
Registered charities, who cannot currently access this funding, are offered heavily reduced rates so the training remains within reach.