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 children and adults 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:
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- 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
LBL 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 children and young people against radicalisation and extremism
There have been several cases where extremist groups or individuals have attempted to radicalise vulnerable children. This can include justifying political, religious, sexist, or racist violence, or to steer individuals towards an ideology of extremism and intolerance. A young person might be groomed and radicalised into carrying out acts of violence and cause significant harm to others.
There are several ways in which children and young people can be at risk of radicalisation
- They can be groomed either online or in person by people seeking to draw them into extremist activity.
- Young people can be radicalised online via peer networks, social media, or online chat platforms.
- Grooming of a young person can also be carried out by those who hold harmful, extremist beliefs, including family members or friends who have an influence over the young persons life.
- Young people can be exposed to violent, anti-social, extremist imagery and narratives which can lead to normalising intolerance of others and extremist ideology.
As with other forms of safeguarding strategies, early intervention is essential. All agencies working with children and young people, along with families and communities can play a vital role in ensuring young people and their communities are safe from the threat of radicalisation, extremist ideologies and terrorism.
If you are concerned that a child, young person and/or parents/carers 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 worried about a child or a young person you should follow your own organisation’s child protection procedures without delay.
If a child is in immediate risk call 999.
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 have any questions regarding Prevent in Lewisham you can contact the Prevent team by emailing: prevent@lewisham.gov.uk
The Channel Programme
Channel is a voluntary and confidential support programme which safeguards people who have been identified as vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.
This multi-agency programme involves partners from the local authority, the police, education sector, health providers and other groups.
Channel offers various types of support that will address educational, vocational, mental health and other vulnerabilities.
It is not a criminal sanction and it will not affect a person’s criminal record.
What happens after a Prevent referral is made
When someone makes a referral, lots of agencies work together to offer support where it is necessary and proportionate to do so. This involves several steps:
The police carefully assess all referrals to see if they are suitable for Channel or whether a different type of support is more appropriate, such as mental health support.
If suitable, the referral is discussed with all relevant partners at a meeting called a Channel panel to decide if an intervention is necessary. The individual who has been referred to Prevent is informed and must give their consent (or via a parent or guardian if they are under the age of 18) before an intervention can take place.
If Channel intervention is required, the panel works with local partners to develop an appropriate tailored support package.
The support package is monitored closely and reviewed regularly by the Channel panel.
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 anyone who may be asked to sit on a Channel panel. This might the Designated Safeguarding Lead at a school where a child has been referred, or an assigned social worker.
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
Additional Training Opportunities
Professionals working in Lewisham Schools can find out more about additional training opportunities and support offered through the Department for Education here: Prevent Resources | Lewisham Services for Schools
Occasionally, the Home Office share additional training workshops which dive deeper into different elements of Prevent. These are circulated by the LSCP Business Unit. To sign up to the mailing list please email safeguardingpartnership@lewisham.gov.uk.
Lewisham Council is unable to provide Prevent training directly to settings and agencies.
Public Advice
- If you wish to advise members of the public about extremism and radicalisation, you can signpost them to Act Early, the UK’s counter-extremism support line
- Act Early also have a range of public-facing resources, including posters and leaflets, that you can download for your setting here: Act Early Resources
- 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
Resources for parents and practitioners
General online safety guidance