Autism Awareness

Autism awareness training delivered at your workplace or online. Half day or full day. Grounded in current guidance and autistic voices. Meets Oliver McGowan Tier 1 requirements for CQC-registered providers.

Course Overview

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, processes sensory information, experiences social interaction, and makes sense of the world. It’s not an illness. It’s not something to be fixed. And it looks completely different from one person to the next.

That last point is where a lot of well-meaning support falls down. Staff who have worked alongside one or two autistic people sometimes assume they understand autism. They don’t always recognise sensory overload when they see it. They misread distress as behaviour. They interpret a need for routine as awkwardness or non-compliance. And the person they’re supporting pays the price for that gap in understanding.

Autism Awareness Training gives learners a grounded, practical, and genuinely respectful understanding of autism. Not the tick-box version. The kind that changes how people show up at work. This course aligns with the principles of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, supporting Tier 1 knowledge and awareness requirements as defined by NHS England and set out in the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, which commenced on 6 September 2025. It reflects current best practice from the National Autistic Society and sits within the legislative framework of the Equality Act 2010, under which autism is a recognised protected characteristic.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day (3 to 4 hours) or full day (6 hours), depending on group needs
  • Delivery: Face-to-face in-house or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • Certificate: CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Autism Awareness
  • Awarding organisations: CPD-Accredited
  • Validity: No formal expiry. Refresher recommended every 1 to 3 years, depending on role and level of contact with autistic individuals.
  • Group size: Maximum 15 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone who supports, works alongside, or makes decisions affecting autistic people.

  • Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
  • Personal assistants working with an individual employer
  • Health professionals and allied health staff
  • Education staff and SEN support teams
  • Managers and supervisors responsible for autistic staff or service users
  • Volunteers, unpaid carers, and family members seeking a more structured understanding

No prior knowledge of autism is needed. This course pairs naturally with our Learning Disability Awareness training and can be delivered as a combined programme for providers needing to address both areas of the Oliver McGowan requirement in a single training day. Not sure which combination is right for your team? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

The Legal Requirement

Under the Equality Act 2010, autism is a protected characteristic. Employers and service providers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for autistic people. That duty isn’t discharged by good intentions. It requires staff who understand what autism actually looks like in practice and who know how to adapt their approach accordingly.

The Autism Act 2009 was the first disability-specific legislation in England, placing a duty on the Secretary of State to produce and review a national autism strategy. The current England Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026 sets clear expectations around improving understanding and reducing health inequalities for autistic people of all ages. In many services, the gap between current practice and where the strategy expects them to be is, at its root, a training gap.

The Health and Care Act 2022 made Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training a statutory requirement for all staff in CQC-registered settings by amending Regulation 18 (Staffing) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. That requirement was strengthened on 6 September 2025 with the commencement of the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, which now forms the specific benchmark CQC uses to assess Regulation 18 compliance. This course meets the Tier 1 standard. CQC inspectors actively check compliance with the Code during inspections, including how providers have mapped each role to the correct tier. Providers without documented evidence of completion are at real risk.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training: What You Need to Know

Since the Health and Care Act 2022 came into force, and reinforced by the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice from 6 September 2025, all CQC-registered providers must ensure their staff complete Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. This applies to every member of staff, regardless of role, mapped to the tier appropriate for their level of contact with autistic people and people with a learning disability.

Tier 1 is awareness-level training for staff in roles with indirect or occasional contact, such as administrative, reception, estates, or general support staff. This course meets the Tier 1 standard. CPD-accredited certificates issued through this course are suitable for inclusion in your training records as evidence of Tier 1 completion.

Tier 2 is a more detailed programme developed by NHS England and co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability. It’s a statutory requirement for staff who provide direct care or support, or who make decisions about service delivery. This course does not meet Tier 2.

If your workforce needs Tier 2 provision, we work with a trusted partner training provider who can deliver this on request. Get in touch, and we will connect you with the right support before you commit to anything.

Not sure which tier applies to your team? We’re happy to advise. You can also read more on the NHS England Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training pages and the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice itself.

What the Day Covers

All content reflects current guidance from the National Autistic Society, NHS England’s Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training framework, the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, and the England Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026 throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What autism is and what it’s not: addressing the most persistent misconceptions
  • Autism as a spectrum: understanding individual differences and moving beyond stereotypes
  • The social model of disability and what it means in practice
  • Identity-first language and why it matters to the autistic community
  • Communication styles and preferences: literal language, processing time, and alternative communication
  • Sensory processing differences and sensory overload: causes, signs, and practical responses
  • Behaviour as communication: understanding distress, anxiety, and meltdown without judgment
  • Common triggers for anxiety and distress, and how environments can be adjusted to reduce them
  • Person-centred support, reasonable adjustments, and promoting independence and choice
  • The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training framework and Code of Practice: Tier 1 and Tier 2 explained
  • How autism awareness supports safer, more inclusive care and reduces health inequalities

Every course is also built to include your industry-specific common risks and your organisation’s incident reporting systems as standard.

Every course is also built to include your industry-specific common risks and your organisation’s incident reporting systems as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is available face-to-face at your workplace or chosen venue, or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Both formats are fully interactive. Online delivery is a live session with the same discussion, scenarios, and trainer engagement as the room-based version. It is not a pre-recorded module.

Groups are capped at 15 to ensure every learner gets sufficient time for discussion and reflection. Every session is built around your working environment, your sector’s risks, and your internal reporting procedures. We also design each course to incorporate your specific service context, the autistic individuals your team supports, and the findings of your needs assessment. If you haven’t carried out a needs assessment yet, we can guide you through what’s involved during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

  • Clear explanation of autism grounded in current understanding and autistic voices
  • Discussion of real scenarios drawn from health, social care, and community settings
  • Reflective exercises that challenge assumptions and encourage honest self-examination
  • Practical strategies staff can apply immediately in their working day

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Autism Awareness. There is no formal expiry, but a refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, depending on role, level of contact with autistic people, and organisational policy. For CQC-registered providers, training records should be documented and auditable as part of your Oliver McGowan Tier 1 compliance evidence. Many organisations align this with their mandatory training cycle.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 15 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Does this course meet the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Tier 1 requirement?

Yes. This course meets the Tier 1 awareness requirements of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, as defined by NHS England and confirmed in the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, which commenced on 6 September 2025. It’s appropriate for all staff in CQC-registered settings who may have any contact with autistic people or people with a learning disability. CPD-accredited certificates issued on completion are suitable for inclusion in your training records as evidence of Tier 1 compliance.

Can you help with Oliver McGowan Tier 2?

Tier 2 is a distinct NHS England-developed programme that must be co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability. It can’t be met by this course. If your team needs Tier 2 provision, we work with a trusted partner training provider who can deliver this on request. Get in touch and we will connect you with the right support.

Can this be delivered alongside Learning Disability Awareness for CQC compliance?

Yes. This course pairs naturally with our Learning Disability Awareness training and can be delivered as a combined programme in a single day. Many care providers in Greater Manchester and across England use this approach to address both areas of the Oliver McGowan Tier 1 requirement in one session. We are happy to advise on the right format before you book.

Should I use “autistic person” or “person with autism”?

The majority of autistic people in the UK prefer identity-first language: ‘autistic person’ rather than ‘person with autism.’ This reflects the view that autism is a core part of who someone is, not something separate from them. We use identity-first language throughout our training, while acknowledging that individual preferences vary and should always be respected.

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Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from NHS England, the National Autistic Society, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK legislation and guidance, including the Health and Care Act 2022, the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice (effective 6 September 2025), the Equality Act 2010, and the Autism Act 2009.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura | Training 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects UK legislation and best practice current at the date of review. It does not constitute legal advice. Providers should satisfy themselves that their training arrangements meet their specific CQC registration and statutory compliance obligations. Oliver McGowan Tier 2 requirements must be addressed separately and cannot be met by this course. Employers remain responsible for ensuring their arrangements comply with the Equality Act 2010, the Health and Care Act 2022, and any other legislation relevant to their setting.

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