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    • Protecting the Vulnerable
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Protecting the Vulnerable with Richard’s Law

A Mother's Despair, A Movement for Change

 Louise Woollam’s story is more than heart-breaking, it’s a wake-up call. In 2023, she trusted a private carer to care for her husband, Richard, who lives with advanced Alzheimer’s. The carer came with a clean DBS certificate, insurance, and a caring demeanour. Within weeks, intimate family heirlooms—including a 200-year-old engagement ring, sentimental keepsakes, and foreign currency—were stolen from their home.


 The true shock came when Louise discovered the carer had previously been convicted of a similar crime against another person with Alzheimer’s back in 2010. Yet under English law, Louise had no way of knowing this. A clean DBS check offered no protection, because carers are not required to be registered or regulated, as they are in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 

Louise's petition, calling for Richard’s Law, demands essential reforms:


  • Mandatory registration with a national care workforce regulator.
     
  • A clean enhanced DBS certificate.
     
  • Accredited training in first aid, dementia awareness, safeguarding, and food hygiene.
     
  • A professional code of conduct equivalent to those in other UK nations.
     
  • A ban on caring roles for anyone convicted of abuse, theft, or neglect.

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Why This Matters


At NACAS, we stand firmly behind Louise’s campaign. Every truly dedicated care professional deserves, and depends on the trust that comes with proper oversight. But more critically, vulnerable adults and their families deserve peace of mind. Without a reliable register, there’s nowhere to turn when safeguards fail. No reporting mechanism. No transparent accountability. And no guarantee that someone convicted of harming those they were meant to protect can be stopped.

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 The Care Professional Register


Our forthcoming Care Professional Register (CPR) is designed to fill this dangerous gap. It offers:

  • A verified, trustworthy register of private carers.
     
  • Clear, accredited standards of training and conduct.
     
  • A mechanism to remove and bar carers who have committed serious offences.
     
  • A framework of accountability that empowers both families and the broader care sector.

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Together We Can Build Trust


Louise's experience is a painful reminder that without regulation, a single betrayal can shatter trust in the entire profession. But we have the power to act. By supporting Richard’s Law and the creation of the Care Professional Register, we can ensure that carers who fail their most vulnerable clients are held to account—while uplifting and protecting those who do their vital work with compassion and integrity.

The Care Professional RegisterSign the Petition

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