First, negligence is not a crime except in a very few, specific and limited cases (e.g. negligent homicide).Second, government or publically funded agencies can try to limit their liability. While you are--completely understandably and naturally--focusing on your mother's needs, a publically funded, etc. agency has a broader mission and constituency than any one person, and limiting liability can reduce its costs and risks, and therefore help it fulfill its mission. (E.g. it can't keep providing respite care if sued out of existence, or their insurance cost is too high.)Third, no one can protect themselves from liability from intentional or deliberate bad acts or from gross negligence/recklessness (exceptional carelessness; carelessness going well beyond normal negligence or carelessly), it is legal to protect yourself from ordinary carelessness: your clients, customers, patients, etc. can agree to accept the risk of ordinary negligence and not sue.