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Experts by Experience

Learn about the roles of Experts by Experience (EbE) within NATP, and EbE training courses to deliver NATP training in services.

NATP Experts by Experience

The National Autism Trainer Programme (NATP) is co-produced by and co-delivered with more than 110 autistic people who have contributed to every aspect of the programme. We refer to these people as NATP Trainers, NATP content developers, or NATP associate advisors.

A key focus of the NATP is the importance of co-production and co-delivery of training. For this reason, all delegates who complete NATP training are expected to co-deliver their local training with an Expert by Experience (EbE).

During the pilot of NATP in 2021-2022, the programme was fortunate to have the involvement of a large group of Experts by Experience. Anna Freud and AT-Autism were then commissioned to deliver the roll-out of the programme nationally, and have continued to work with this original group of people that we refer to as ‘NATP EbEs’. Please note that this is a closed group and there are currently no plans for recruitment of new NATP EbEs.

Although it is preferable that services co-deliver local training with a Local Expert by Experience (see section below), services that do not have existing relationships with EbEs locally can request for one of our NATP EbEs to support them with co-delivery of their training.

If you are a member of staff planning to deliver training in your setting, who would like to connect with one of our NATP EbEs, please complete this form with your requirements and the NATP team will be in touch to help arrange this.

Local Experts by Experience

Where a person with lived experience has an established relationship with a local service where they plan to deliver training, they can register for our three-day Expert by Experience training courses.

To qualify to take this training, you must meet all of the below eligibility criteria:

  1. Be autistic, or have a sibling or child who is autistic.

  2. Have experience of a co-occurring mental health condition, for example depression, anxiety or psychosis; or have an autistic sibling or child with a co-occurring mental health condition.

  3. Have relevant lived experience, either yourself or with your autistic sibling or child, in the setting type you would like to deliver training in, for example experience as an inpatient for the inpatient care streams.

  4. Have an existing relationship as a lived experience expert with an NHS service, residential special school or college, or children and young people health and justice service that you plan to deliver training in.

  5. Not be a clinician or professional in the service you wish to deliver training in.

While many clinicians and professionals working in services may also have lived experience of autism, it is important that they do not fulfil the role of EbE within their own service. This is because they do not have experience of accessing the service solely as a patient - experience which will bring a depth and richness of perspective to the co-delivery of training and is therefore vital.

If you are a Local EbE, you can now book onto the three-day EbE training course. Please click the course below for the stream you are interested in delivering. If you are a member of staff interested in training their existing EbEs, please direct them to this webpage to book training.

Please note that completing this course does not qualify EbEs to receive information about opportunities to co-deliver training in other services nationally. These opportunities will only be circulated to NATP Experts by Experience.

Experts by Experience training

Book the three-day training courses below to qualify as an Expert by Experience to co-deliver local NATP training. Please read the eligibility criteria detailed above and on the course page before booking.