For My Mum: Mandatory Training for Social Workers, Care Workers & Adult Social Care Staff
For My Mum: Mandatory Training for Social Workers, Care Workers & Adult Social Care Staff
The Issue
This petition is dedicated to my Mum — a woman who spent her life caring for others, and who deserved so much better than what the system gave her in the end.
My Mum was a powerhouse in her own quiet way. She cared for her own Mum, her son, and people in the community throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. She showed up for people. She tried. She gave what she could, even when she had nothing left. That was who she was. Even as she was deteriorating, she still knew more than some of the people who were supposed to be caring for her. She was teaching carers how to do their job properly while she was slipping away.
But when she reached the end of her life, the system failed her.
Professionals didn’t recognise the signs.
They didn’t see how quickly she was declining.
They didn’t listen when I tried to tell them something was wrong.
Because of that, I was left carrying everything alone. It made her final days harder than they ever should have been. It made my grief heavier. It made the whole situation cruel in a way no family should ever experience.
This isn’t about blaming individual workers — many of them care deeply.
This is about fixing a system that leaves vulnerable people unprotected and leaves family carers unheard, unsupported, and overwhelmed.
That is why I am calling on the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, all Local Authorities, Social Work England, Skills for Care, and the Care Quality Commission — as well as Parliament — to introduce mandatory refresher training every 2–3 years for all adult social care staff.
This must apply to:
• social workers
• care workers
• support workers
• anyone involved in adult safeguarding or end‑of‑life care
This training must cover:
• recognising end‑of‑life signs
• understanding deterioration
• supporting overwhelmed family carers
• communicating clearly and compassionately
• knowing when urgent action is needed
People like my Mum — people who spent their lives caring for others — deserve dignity, safety, and proper support at the end of their lives. Families deserve to be listened to. Carers deserve to be taken seriously. And no one should ever be left to cope alone because someone wasn’t trained well enough to see what was happening.
In the UK, over 500,000 people die each year, and behind every number is a family struggling to cope with the devastating emotional burden. According to the National Council for Palliative Care, many families report feeling unsupported by the professionals who should help them through such challenging times. This gap in support must be addressed urgently.
End‑of‑life recognition is not just about medical competence; it requires compassion, empathy, and effective communication. Social workers and care staff who are not properly trained may overlook critical signs, miscommunicate with families, and inadvertently contribute to unnecessary suffering.
There is strong evidence that comprehensive training improves outcomes for both patients and families. The Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute reports that with the right training, professionals feel more confident and competent in delivering palliative care, leading to a more dignified and less stressful experience for everyone involved.
I am urging the Department of Health and Social Care to implement mandatory training programmes focusing on these essential skills. These programmes should include understanding the physical, emotional, and psychosocial aspects of dying, and they must require ongoing education to keep staff informed about the latest research and best practices.
No family should ever feel the isolation and burden that my Mum and our family experienced. Let’s ensure that the voices of vulnerable individuals and their caregivers are heard and supported.
I’m doing this for her.
And for every family who shouldn’t have to go through what we did.
If you believe vulnerable people deserve better…
If you believe families shouldn’t have to fight to be heard…
If you believe no one should be failed the way my Mum was…
Please sign this petition.
Sign it for the people you love.
Sign it for the families who are struggling right now.
Sign it so no one else has to live through what we did.
98
The Issue
This petition is dedicated to my Mum — a woman who spent her life caring for others, and who deserved so much better than what the system gave her in the end.
My Mum was a powerhouse in her own quiet way. She cared for her own Mum, her son, and people in the community throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. She showed up for people. She tried. She gave what she could, even when she had nothing left. That was who she was. Even as she was deteriorating, she still knew more than some of the people who were supposed to be caring for her. She was teaching carers how to do their job properly while she was slipping away.
But when she reached the end of her life, the system failed her.
Professionals didn’t recognise the signs.
They didn’t see how quickly she was declining.
They didn’t listen when I tried to tell them something was wrong.
Because of that, I was left carrying everything alone. It made her final days harder than they ever should have been. It made my grief heavier. It made the whole situation cruel in a way no family should ever experience.
This isn’t about blaming individual workers — many of them care deeply.
This is about fixing a system that leaves vulnerable people unprotected and leaves family carers unheard, unsupported, and overwhelmed.
That is why I am calling on the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, all Local Authorities, Social Work England, Skills for Care, and the Care Quality Commission — as well as Parliament — to introduce mandatory refresher training every 2–3 years for all adult social care staff.
This must apply to:
• social workers
• care workers
• support workers
• anyone involved in adult safeguarding or end‑of‑life care
This training must cover:
• recognising end‑of‑life signs
• understanding deterioration
• supporting overwhelmed family carers
• communicating clearly and compassionately
• knowing when urgent action is needed
People like my Mum — people who spent their lives caring for others — deserve dignity, safety, and proper support at the end of their lives. Families deserve to be listened to. Carers deserve to be taken seriously. And no one should ever be left to cope alone because someone wasn’t trained well enough to see what was happening.
In the UK, over 500,000 people die each year, and behind every number is a family struggling to cope with the devastating emotional burden. According to the National Council for Palliative Care, many families report feeling unsupported by the professionals who should help them through such challenging times. This gap in support must be addressed urgently.
End‑of‑life recognition is not just about medical competence; it requires compassion, empathy, and effective communication. Social workers and care staff who are not properly trained may overlook critical signs, miscommunicate with families, and inadvertently contribute to unnecessary suffering.
There is strong evidence that comprehensive training improves outcomes for both patients and families. The Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute reports that with the right training, professionals feel more confident and competent in delivering palliative care, leading to a more dignified and less stressful experience for everyone involved.
I am urging the Department of Health and Social Care to implement mandatory training programmes focusing on these essential skills. These programmes should include understanding the physical, emotional, and psychosocial aspects of dying, and they must require ongoing education to keep staff informed about the latest research and best practices.
No family should ever feel the isolation and burden that my Mum and our family experienced. Let’s ensure that the voices of vulnerable individuals and their caregivers are heard and supported.
I’m doing this for her.
And for every family who shouldn’t have to go through what we did.
If you believe vulnerable people deserve better…
If you believe families shouldn’t have to fight to be heard…
If you believe no one should be failed the way my Mum was…
Please sign this petition.
Sign it for the people you love.
Sign it for the families who are struggling right now.
Sign it so no one else has to live through what we did.
98
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 12 June 2026