Our story
William O’Keeffe, who himself is a carer, founded Custos Care in 2021. He wanted to see that he and his colleagues were treated with the dignity and rewards that they deserve.
Custos Care is an introductory agency which is comprised exclusively of carers. Our team are always on the ground visiting clients alongside our admin work and we facilitate training, background checking, interviewing and day to day running of the business from our offices in Kensington Village.
At Custos Care, we pride ourselves on being a Micro-Enterprise, where profits take a backseat. By consulting regularly with our carers, we ensure investments go where they’re needed most to enhance our service. Unlike large-scale providers, our modest size allows us to offer a truly personalised approach—building a close-knit community where carers feel supported, valued, and fairly compensated.
Our founding principle
Our carers are the ones doing the hard work, and they should receive the largest share of what our clients pay. This is a core value we have upheld from the start - and one we will always stand by.
Over the past five years, 84% of our turnover has gone directly into carer salaries and improvement of services. Whether it’s hiring additional administrative support to keep operations running smoothly or hosting our well deserved Christmas gatherings where everyone can take a break, mingle with our partners and enjoy the fruits of their labour, every penny is spent with purpose.
We have no business debts or shareholders to appease, and, in fact, most of our live-in carers earn more than management.
Ensuring our carers are paid what they deserve
84%
of our turnover has gone directly into carer salaries and improvement of services.
Meet the office team
FOUNDER
Will began his care work in his early twenties after completing a BA in Theatre Studies. While working in a secretarial role at a private GP practice in Belgravia, he also joined a local branch of a care agency franchise. He quickly discovered a passion for the work, though the pay was dismal.
After several years, Will began to receive requests from many clients who wanted to work with him privately. This inspired him to launch Custos Care, a company designed so that carers could collaborate and self-organise, reaping the rewards of their work rather than being limited by the typical agency model. The venture has, so far, been a tremendous success.
Outside of care, Will enjoys playing tennis, rowing in Kew, and taking walks on Wimbledon Common with his Spaniels.
William O’Keeffe
CARE SERVICES MANAGER
Peter joins Custos Care as our Services Manager, with an impressive 27 years of experience in care management. Now focused on driving our CQC registration and the development of new systems, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team.
A proud father of five, he’s also an enthusiastic Tottenham Hotspur fan. In his spare time, Peter loves traveling, particularly to the Greek islands and Italy, where he can relax and enjoy history, food and architecture. His passion for quality and improvement, both in his work and in life, makes him a fantastic addition to the Custos Care team.
Peter Lord
COMPANY SECRETARY
Lottie is from Warwickshire and joined us at the start of 2022. Beyond her duties as Company Secretary, she found a love for providing companionship through her role and now dedicates a few hours each week to seeing clients, alongside her office work.
Having previously worked in marketing, Lottie wanted to transition to a role that was more focused on people. Now, she enjoys coming home knowing she's helped make someone’s day a little brighter.
When she’s not found glued to the Custos emails, Lottie is a part of a book club and loves reading classics, as well as attending art exhibitions and spending as much time with dogs as she can.
Lottie Calvert
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Jake has a background in the modelling industry, in which he travelled the world for the best part of a decade, as well as DJing for various top hotels and fashion brands. He joined Custos Care, as a carer in 2023 and worked alongside a team of live in carers providing support to a client in the countryside for nearly two years. He already had a lot of personal experience with care but spending this time in the countryside he really refined his skills so he can now help others support our clients to the highest standard.
Jake enjoys country walks and is a big fan of animals, as well as this he is a well rounded sportsman, playing for Leicester city and Peterborough United during his youth..
Jake has now joined us in the office as our executive assistant. You’ll often see him in the front of the Custos carriage, guided by Will on their way to visit clients all over London.
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Jake Peters
Meet our talented carers