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 is not an illness. It is 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 do not 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 are 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. It reflects current best practice guidance from the National Autistic Society and sits within the broader 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 at your workplace or chosen venue, or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • Certificate: CPD-accredited Certificate of Achievement in Autism Awareness
  • Validity: No formal expiry. Refresher recommended every 1 to 3 years, depending on role and level of contact with autistic individuals
  • Group size: Maximum 16 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.

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.

What Learners Will Be Able to Do

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain what autism is, how it presents differently across individuals, and why identity-first language matters to the autistic community
  • Recognise common characteristics associated with autism, including differences in communication, social interaction, and sensory processing
  • Understand sensory differences and how the environment can support or undermine an autistic person’s wellbeing
  • Recognise behaviour as a form of communication and respond accordingly rather than reactively
  • Communicate more effectively with autistic people, including adapting language, tone, and approach
  • Apply person-centred, strengths-based support that respects the individual’s preferences, routines, and needs
  • Make reasonable adjustments in day-to-day practice in line with obligations under the Equality Act 2010
  • Challenge assumptions, stereotypes, and unhelpful myths about autism

What the Day Covers

All content reflects current guidance from the National Autistic Society, NHS England’s Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training framework, and the England Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026 throughout. Content is adapted to your setting and team, but typically covers:

  • What autism is and what it is 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: 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.

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.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 16 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
  • Time for questions, because the nuanced stuff often only comes out in conversation

Why This Autism Awareness Training Matters

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 is not 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 and placed 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. The gap between where services currently are and where the strategy expects them to be is, in many cases, a training gap.

Since the Health and Care Act 2022 came into force, Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is a statutory requirement for all staff in CQC-registered settings. This course meets the Tier 1 standard. CQC inspectors are actively checking compliance. Providers without documented evidence of completion are at risk.

Autistic people face significant and well-documented barriers when accessing health, social care, and support services. Many of those barriers are not structural. They come from staff who do not understand what they are seeing. Sensory overload misread as aggression. A meltdown treated as a behavioural problem. A need for clear, literal communication met with vague reassurances that create more anxiety, not less. These are not rare edge cases. They happen in care homes, GP surgeries, hospitals, schools, and community services every day. Training addresses that directly.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training: What You Need to Know

Since the Health and Care Act 2022 came into force, 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.

The training has two tiers:

Tier 1 is awareness-level training for all staff who may have any contact with autistic people or people with a learning disability. This course meets the Tier 1 standard.

Tier 2 is a more detailed programme developed by NHS England and co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability. It is required for staff who provide direct care or support. This course does not meet Tier 2. If your workforce needs Tier 2 provision, we can signpost you to a trusted associate partner.

CQC is actively checking Oliver McGowan compliance during inspections. CPD-accredited certificates issued through this course are suitable for inclusion in your training records as evidence of Tier 1 completion.

Not sure which tier applies to your team? We’re happy to advise before you book. You can also read more on the NHS England Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training pages.

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 compliance evidence. Many organisations align this with their mandatory training cycle.

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. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate. Groups are capped at 16 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

FAQs

Is this course aligned with the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training?

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. It is appropriate for all staff who may have any contact with autistic people or people with a learning disability.

Does this course replace Oliver McGowan Tier 2 training?

No. Tier 2 is a distinct NHS England-developed programme that must be co-delivered by autistic people and people with a learning disability. It is a statutory requirement for staff who provide direct care or support. This course meets Tier 1 only. If your team needs Tier 2 provision, we can signpost you to a trusted associate partner.

Is autism a disability under UK law?

Yes. Autism is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, meaning employers and service providers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. This course covers what that means in practice.

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.

Can this be delivered as part of a wider learning disability and autism programme?

Yes. This course pairs naturally with our Learning Disability Awareness training and can be delivered as a combined programme. Many care providers find this a practical way to address both areas of the Oliver McGowan requirement within a single training day.

Will this training satisfy our CQC inspection requirements?

This course meets the Tier 1 standard, which CQC inspectors are checking for under the Health and Care Act 2022. All learners receive a CPD-accredited certificate, suitable for inclusion in your training records. Tier 2 must be addressed separately for staff providing direct care.

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Book or Enquire

To book this course or request a quote for your team, use the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. Tell us your team size, your sector, and your preferred dates. We’ll come back with a quote and any advice on qualification level if you need it.

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 and the Equality Act 2010.

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: April 2026 | Next review: April 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. Prima Cura Training accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this content alone.

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