From the UK to South Africa – why we started Civility Home Care

Civility Home Care was founded by Lauri Smith, a UK-based care professional and the creator of The Civility Gap, a care model and training platform focused on how care is communicated, delivered and experienced.

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About Lauri — Founder of Civility Home Care & The Civility Gap

I’m Lauri Smith, and I’ve spent my career focused on one question:

How does care feel to the people who rely on it the most?

After nearly a decade working in the UK care sector, as a Registered Manager, Senior Operations Manager, Regional Director and now CEO, I’ve seen care at its best, and at its most damaging.

I’ve witnessed moments of deep compassion that change lives.

And moments where pressure, poor communication or broken systems cause distress that should never happen.

Care must be calm, kind, dignifying and emotionally safe.

That belief led me to create The Civility Gap, a communication and behaviour framework that teaches carers how to deliver not just competent care, but humane care.

Civility Home Care is where that model is put into practice.

Why I Brought Civility Home Care to South Africa

When I first visited South Africa, I was deeply moved by the warmth of its people, the strength of its families, and the way communities care for one another.

But I also saw the gaps, inconsistency in home care, exhausted carers, poor communication, and a lack of systems designed to protect dignity in everyday care.

I knew the country deserved something better.

Something safer. Calmer. More compassionate.

My partner grew up in Fourways, Johannesburg so bringing Civility Home Care to South Africa wasn’t just a professional decision, it was a personal one.

We combine:

UK-standard care systems
The Civility Gap’s emotional intelligence and communication training
South African warmth, culture and family values

This is not just a service.

It is a promise, to honour your loved one with care that is structured, humane, and grounded in dignity.

What I Believe

I believe people deserve:

✔ To feel valued, not rushed

✔ To be spoken to with respect, not impatience

✔ To feel emotionally safe, not worried or confused

✔ To feel like a whole person, not a task list

And I believe families deserve:

✔ Clear communication

✔ Transparency

✔ Reliability

✔ Peace of mind

This is the standard I expect from every service I’ve ever led, and the standard Civility Home Care will bring to families in Johannesburg, Pretoria and the wider Gauteng.

See What We Offer

The Civility Gap Model: Where systems meet humanity

Most care providers talk about “kindness” and “dignity”. Few can show how they build it into the day-to-day reality of care.

The Civility Gap model was originally designed to close the gap between how we think we show up and how people actually experience us, especially in high-pressure, emotionally demanding environments.

In Civility Home Care this means:

Every carer is trained on not just what to do, but how to speak, listen and behave
We focus on tone, respect, boundaries and emotional safety for clients and families
We actively invite feedback and via our freedom to speak up platform from carers and families, allowing us to continually develop and improve our services
We treat every interaction as part of someone’s dignity story, not just a task list

Our Vision & Values

Professional Excellence

We show up, stay accountable, and deliver consistent quality through learning, supervision, and honest communication.
Dignity First

We honour each client’s identity, choices, culture, and privacy in every task.
Civility & Respect

We communicate with emotional intelligence, creating psychological safety for clients and carers.
Compassion in Action

We care with warmth, patience, and presence — especially on the hard days.
Courageous Care

We speak up, advocate, and do what is right to protect dignity and trust. goes here