Thursday 31st July 2025

We have learned with great concern of the recent news from a summer camp in Leicestershire, where a man has been arrested on suspicion of administering poison after eight children fell ill and were taken to hospital. 

Though Derby Kids’ Camp is in no way linked to the organisation involved with this incident, we fully understand the alarm and worry this news may cause for parents, guardians and families of the young children staying with Derby Kids’ Camp this summer.

We want to reassure you of our safety and safeguarding standards and protocols at our own camps in the Peak District. The safety and wellbeing of the children who stay with us is always our top priority.

Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment

• We follow Safer Recruitment guidance when recruiting our team of volunteers.
• Every DKC Summer Camp Volunteer undergoes an Enhanced DBS Check with Children’s Barred List.
• We maintain robust safeguarding procedures, led by our Safeguarding Officer, Lead Trustee for Safeguarding and our Designated and Deputy Safeguarding Leads on each week of Camp. This team all undergo Level 3 Safeguarding Training through our charity.
• Every DKC Summer Camp Volunteer undergoes annual Level 1 Safeguarding Training with us, regardless of whether they already have training within their careers.
• We have robust Safeguarding reporting processes, where any volunteer can report any concern they have – big or small – and this will be followed up and actioned by our Safeguarding Team, including making referrals to relevant authorities where necessary.

Food Safety & Hygiene

• Our DKC Cooks all hold a Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene Certificate.
• We have robust procedures in place to manage safe food storage and preparation.
• Our Cooks work in teams in our on-site kitchen.
• We are continually revising and improving our food safety and hygiene procedures on Camp.

Safety

• Our camp is based on a private, closed camp site which is not open to the public.
• We have a minimum of two volunteers awake and on duty at all times throughout the night to patrol monitor the site for safety purposes.
• We have stringent 24/7 supervision of the children and site in place by our team.
• Our volunteers never work directly with children on a one-to-one basis, they always work in pairs as a minimum.

Transparency & Continuous Improvement

• After each summer of camp, we conduct an in-depth review of each week and make adjustments based on best practice and feedback.
• Any concern is treated seriously: we investigate thoroughly, revise processes where needed, and provide prompt updates to the person raising the concern.
• We ask all volunteers for their feedback after each week of camp, and use this feedback to improve our holidays, facilities and activities.
• We also regularly receive feedback from parents and schools, and also use this to continually improve our service.

Should you have any ongoing concerns or would like to discuss your child’s holiday further, please speak with your child’s holiday Camp Leader or email to info@derbykidscamp.co.uk