Proper Support is a Canadian registered non-profit (Proper Support Trust) dedicated to helping aid workers and their families recover from complex injury and grievance, while assisting organizations to strengthen their duty of care. Our work ensures accessible recovery services and supports organizations to do better before, during, and after critical incidents.
We do this work from lived experience. Our founder, Steve Dennis, was shot and kidnapped while on assignment. What followed was a second fog of trauma through denial of care, broken support systems, and complex legal processes. That experience led to a precedent setting verdict of gross negligence and the creation of Proper Support.
Our expert networks include legal advocates, trauma therapists, medical professionals, insurance specialists, and recovery coaches. These professionals are mobilized to join case strategy, planning and support in the aftermath of injury or organizational support failures.
We provide policy reviews, scenario training, and guidance to strengthen systems for when things go wrong. We also support case management, offering extra capacity or an independent perspective when needed. Alongside this, we advocate, build tools, and share learning from real cases.
Led recovery support for 50+ aid workers across five continents
Drove legal reforms and influenced numerous duty-of-care forums
Designed and implemented recovery tools for post-incident navigation