Evaluation of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Trial in Learning Disability and Autism: Experts by experience report

Trainers with lived experience involved in the design of the training reflected that they valued being fully involved in co-production. There was learning about the optimal way to do this:

• The process of co-design - people needed the right support to be able to contribute positively and fully, including the provision of materials in easier-to understand formats.
• Decision-making and sign-off – the timing and responsibility for these need to be made clear from the start. People found it disheartening when there were changes made to the training during the quality assurance process.
• The mix of people involved in the design process - as well as those with personal expertise of learning disabilities or autism, clinical experts, training experts and family members were highly valued and considered essential.
• The right involvement at the right time - being involved at a late stage hindered people’s engagement.

Trainers with and without lived experience shared the importance of good support before, during and after the training. The following issues were raised for consideration:

• Supporting trainers - there is a clear need for consistent preparation and debriefs with trainers who are working together, which will need to be incorporated into wider delivery of the training.

• Developing training skills – the experts by experience should be co-delivering the training and not simply sharing their personal experiences. Therefore, they need be taught the skills to deliver high-quality training. This would include learning about presentation skills, dealing with difficult questions, encouraging participation from attendees and keeping to time.
• Sharing stories - sharing the right story in the right way, at the right time, and linking it back to the learning aims it relates to, is a skilled activity and experts by experience need to be appropriately supported with this.
• Professionalism - there is a need for support for experts by experience around appropriate sharing of their personal views and providing advice.
• Shared knowledge of learning disabilities and autism - all trainers need to be familiar with all the training (about learning disability and autism) and be able to cross-reference and refer to it all accurately.
• The working relationships between co-trainers - seeing true co-production, good support, respect and positive interactions between the trainers was a highlight for many participants and something they were able to learn from. All trainers without lived experience need the skills to be able to work with and support a co-trainer with lived experience.
• Co-ordinating training teams - there is a clear role for someone/a team to co-ordinate the training sessions, for example booking dates, running webinars, co-ordinating availability and ensuring cover if someone is off sick.
• Capacity for varied involvement - some experts by experience said that they enjoyed joining for a short while to share their own experiences, and others expressed a preference in playing a full and equal co-trainer role along with trainers with professional or clinical experience.
  
• Equal and fair payment – it is important to ensure equal and fair payment for experts by experience. All trainers (with and without lived experience) must be and paid for their preparation, delivery and debrief.