CONTEST and the Prevent Strategy

What is CONTEST and the Prevent Strategy?

The Prevent Strategy is one of the key elements of CONTEST, the Government's counter- terrorism strategy and it aims to stop people from being drawn into terrorist-related activity. Prevent has strong links to safeguarding because vulnerable adults and children can be susceptible to radicalisation and recruitment into violent extremist and terrorist organisations.

CONTEST has four strands:

Protect: Strengthen our protection against terrorist attack.
Prepare: Mitigate the impact of an attack.
Pursue: Stop a terrorist attack.
Prevent: Stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism by:

- responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it,
- preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and ensuring that they are given appropriate advice and support,
- working with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

What does the Prevent Duty mean for Statutory Organisations in Lewisham?

Since 2015, statutory agencies have a duty under the Counter Terrorism & Security Act "to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism". This means that local authorities should:

Establish strategic and operational links with other specified authorities,
Facilitate the assessment of risk for specified authorities, including providing advice and sharing threat assessments based on the Counter Terrorism Local Profiles (CTLP),
Understand the full range of bodies affected by the new duties, and ensure they understand their responsibilities,
Embed Prevent into commissioning, procurement, and grant funding processes,
Embed Prevent into Safeguarding Policies and ensure all providers are signed up to local Safeguarding arrangements.

Lewisham Prevent Service

London Borough of Lewisham Prevent are available to assist agencies in complying with their Counter Terrorism Act duties. The support offer includes:

The sharing of training opportunities to upskill frontline staff and those with additional safeguarding responsibilities.
Management briefings regarding Prevent Duty compliance,
Coordination of strategic and operational groups,
The provision of Prevent-related resources and dissemination of relevant information.

Safeguarding vulnerable people against radicalisation and extremism

There have been several cases where extremist groups or individuals have attempted to radicalise vulnerable adults. This can include justifying political, religious, sexist, or racist violence, or to steer individuals towards an ideology of extremism and intolerance. A vulnerable adult might be groomed and radicalised into carrying out acts of violence and cause significant harm to others.

There are several ways in which vulnerable adults can be at risk of radicalisation.

They can be groomed either online or in person by people seeking to draw them into extremist activity.
Vulnerable adults can be radicalised online via networks, social media or online chat platforms.
Grooming can also be carried out by those who hold harmful, extremist beliefs, including peer or family members who have an influence over the person's life.
People can be exposed to violent, anti-social, extremist imagery and narratives which can lead to normalising intolerance of others and extremist ideology.

All agencies play a vital role in ensuring vulnerable adults and our communities are safe from the threat of radicalisation, extremist ideologies and terrorism.

If you are concerned that a vulnerable adult or other family members may hold extremist views or are at risk of being radicalised, it is important to ensure that they receive support to protect them from being drawn into terrorism.

Making a Referral

If you are a professional or work in the voluntary sector and are worried about a vulnerable person you should follow your own organisation’s safeguarding procedures.

To make a Prevent referral, practitioners should complete a Prevent Referral Form and email it to preventreferrals@met.pnn.police.uk

Ensure that Lewisham’s MASH team (mashagency@lewisham.gov.uk) and prevent@lewisham.gov.uk are copied in to this email.

If you are a member of the public your concerns should be reported to:

Act Early Support Helpline: 0800 011 3764 (helpline is open every day, 9am-5pm): Contact | ACT Early

In an emergency always dial 999.

If you have any questions regarding Prevent in Lewisham contact the Prevent team by email.

Training:

Prevent Awareness Course (30-40 minutes)

This e-learning package is provided by the Home Office and is intended for frontline professionals working in a safeguarding role. It covers how Prevent is relevant to your role, as well as spotting the signs of radicalisation and recognising some of the emotions and behaviours that might make someone susceptible to radicalisation.

Participants receive a certificate of completion, which can be used to demonstrate compliance.

It is recommended that all frontline professionals refresh their knowledge with full training every two years.

Access the full course here: https://www.support-people-susceptible-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/portal#awareness-course

For professionals who have already completed Prevent training, there is a short refresher course, which is recommended is completed annually: https://www.support-people-susceptible-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/portal#refresher-awareness-course

Prevent Referrals Course (30-40 minutes)

This course is primarily designed for professionals with a designated safeguarding role and covers how to make a well-informed Prevent referral. It includes the key principles of making a Prevent referral, how to identify valid causes for concern and what information to gather.

Access the course here: https://www.support-people-susceptible-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/portal#referrals-course

Channel Awareness (50-60 minutes)

This course is for any professional who may be asked to sit on a Channel panel.

It covers what a Channel panel is and how it functions, and prepares you for attending.

Access the course here: https://www.support-people-susceptible-to-radicalisation.service.gov.uk/portal#awareness-course

Public Advice

If you see or hear anything that could be terrorist-related, trust your instincts and call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
If you think you have seen a person acting suspiciously, or if you see a vehicle, unattended package or bag which might be an immediate threat, move away and call 999.
If you are involved in an incident follow police advice to: 'RUN, HIDE AND TELL
Download the citizenAID App , which provides safety and medical advice from Google Play, Apple App or the Windows Store, for free.

Guidance and Further Reading

The Prevent Duty guidance for partners and Local Authorities

PREVENT National Referral Form - October 2024

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