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Steve Dennis
Founder,
Proper Support
Steve Dennis has worked in humanitarian aid since 2002, but his mission changed in 2012 when armed men attacked his convoy in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp. Five staff were shot, one fatally. Steve was among the wounded, kidnapped with three colleagues, and held in Somalia until a violent rescue days later.
In the aftermath, Steve found himself disoriented in a fog of traumatic injury, inadequate support, lacking internal review processes, and insufficient paths for escalating concerns. This led to a complex legal battle, culminating in a landmark ruling of gross negligence against his former employer, still the most impactful duty of care court case in the aid sector.
Determined to ensure others wouldn’t face the same lonely path, Steve founded Proper Support, a non-profit that removes barriers to recovery and calls for greater transparency in accountability mechanisms for injured aid workers and grieving families. Striving to be the advocate and guide he once needed, he has helped over 50 aid workers navigate trauma, cross-border legal challenges, and inaccessible insurance systems, while guiding organizations on strengthen their duty of care.
Steve frequently speaks on post-incident support and accountability, recently testifying before the UK Parliament. His work bridges personal recovery and sector-wide reform, striving for a humanitarian system where decisions on exposing staff to risk are made within a framework of accountability, and where staff are supported, lessons learned, and the sector moves to more sustainable Duty of Care norms.
In the aftermath, Steve found himself disoriented in a fog of traumatic injury, inadequate support, lacking internal review processes, and insufficient paths for escalating concerns. This led to a complex legal battle, culminating in a landmark ruling of gross negligence against his former employer, still the most impactful duty of care court case in the aid sector.
Determined to ensure others wouldn’t face the same lonely path, Steve founded Proper Support, a non-profit that removes barriers to recovery and calls for greater transparency in accountability mechanisms for injured aid workers and grieving families. Striving to be the advocate and guide he once needed, he has helped over 50 aid workers navigate trauma, cross-border legal challenges, and inaccessible insurance systems, while guiding organizations on strengthen their duty of care.
Steve frequently speaks on post-incident support and accountability, recently testifying before the UK Parliament. His work bridges personal recovery and sector-wide reform, striving for a humanitarian system where decisions on exposing staff to risk are made within a framework of accountability, and where staff are supported, lessons learned, and the sector moves to more sustainable Duty of Care norms.
Sessions
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Duty of Care on Trial - The Case of Mauchline v. CADUS22-Oct-2025Duty of Care Pavilion and Conference Stage
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