The Prevent Duty Guidance for Academies and Professional Services 1
The Prevent Duty Effective from 1 July 2015 From 1 July 2015, all academies have a statutory duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This is referred to as the 'Prevent Duty'. Furthermore, academies must have regard to statutory guidance issued in relation to the Prevent Duty. The DfE has also recently published non-statutory advice on the Prevent Duty which provides further information on the implications for academies and signposts to a number of additional resources available to support this agenda. There is an expectation that more resources will become available. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445977/3799_ Revised_Prevent_Duty_Guidance England_Wales_V2-Interactive.pdf The Prevent duty The DfE advice explains that 'radicalisation' is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism. It is seen as the stage during which it is possible to intervene to prevent vulnerable people being drawn into terroristrelated activity. The statutory guidance explains the linkage between terrorism, extremism and radicalisation in the following terms: "Terrorist groups often draw on extremist ideology, developed by extremist organisations. Some people who join terrorist groups have previously been members of extremist organisations and have been radicalised by them. The Government has defined extremism in the Prevent strategy as: vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces. The statutory guidance emphasises that the new legal duty on academies should not either add or detract a great deal from what good academies are already doing. All academies are required by law to: teach a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils which prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life; promote community cohesion - a duty first introduced through the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Likewise, the DfE advice stresses that the Prevent Duty is entirely consistent with academies existing responsibilities, should not be burdensome and is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues. 2
Prevent Strategy Background The original prevent strategy was launched in 2007 in response to the 2005 London bombings and was framed as a hearts and minds approach to countering Al Qa ida inspired domestic terrorism with a particular focus on theological, youth, womens and counter radicalisation projects. The original aims included: Challenging violent extremism and supporting mainstream voices; Disrupting the promotion of violent extremism, supporting individuals who were being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism; Increasing the resilience of communities to violent extremism by addressing grievances that ideologies exploited. The strategy was re-launched in 2011 with a target based on the assumption that a terrorist attack was highly likely with a clear focus on Al Qa ida and targeted non-violent extremism as well as violent extremism The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/6/pdfs/ukpga_20150006_en.pdf) has 3 specific objectives: Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote this; Prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support; Work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that need to be addressed. The Home Office and other agencies see the responsibility of safeguarding vulnerable people from radicalisation as no different from safeguarding from other forms of harm. The prevent strategy aims to help vulnerable individuals make better choices and take up support, rather than criminalising their behaviours. Prevent and Education Academies are identified as one of the key organisations committed to working with other groups such as healthcare providers, faith groups, charities and the wider criminal justice system to counter extremism. Academies can play a vital role in identifying and working with young people who might be at risk and vulnerable to radicalisation. What academies must do in response to the prevent duty? Implementing the Prevent duty will require all academies to take action across all the following areas: Establish an understanding of the risk profile of radicalisation amongst the academies pupils and employees; Ensure employees understand the risk and build and develop the capabilities to deal with it, in particular enabling employees to: o understand what radicalisation means and why those within the school community may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism as a consequence of it; 3
o know what measures are available to prevent those within the school community from becoming drawn into terrorism and how to challenge the extremist ideology that can be associated with it; o understand how to obtain support for those within the school community who may be being exploited by radicalising influences. Communicate and promote the importance of the Prevent Duty, providing appropriate training for employees involved in the implementation of the Prevent duty to ensure effective implementation; Work in partnership and co-operation with local Prevent co-ordinators, the police and local authorities and through existing multi-agency forums; Share information to ensure that a person at risk of radicalisation is given appropriate support whilst taking into account factors such as necessity and proportionality, consent, the power to share and relevant legislation; Ensure that those within the school community suspected or identified as already engaged in illegal terrorist-related activity are referred to the police; Maintain appropriate records to show compliance with the school's responsibilities and provide reports when requested. Practical steps and tasks for academies Compliance with the Prevent Duty will require academies to review aspects of their existing policies, particularly child protection and safeguarding, risk assessment and IT policies. The statutory guidance also specifically mentions that academies should have clear protocols for ensuring that any visiting speakers are suitable and appropriately supervised. Training for Employees In terms of staff training, DfE advice suggests that academies are best placed to assess their training needs but that, as a minimum, the dedicated safeguarding lead (DSL) should undertake Prevent Awareness Training and as such be able to provide advice and support to other employees and volunteers. The Home Office has developed a core training product called Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). Academies should enquire with local partners for example the Local Safeguarding Children Board or Police whether there are accredited WRAP-trained facilitators. We offer accredited prevent awareness training for our academies, for further information please contact the HR helpdesk. Academies should: Raise awareness; Provide information; Enable learners to make a positive contribution; Safeguard young people; Explore and promote diversity and shared values between and within communities. Academies could consider the following in support of the Prevent Duty Review the curriculum, and pupil participation and child protection and safeguarding processes; Explore and promote diversity and shared values between and within communities; Challenge islamophobia, anti-semitism and other prejudices; Build ties with local communities, seeking opportunities for linking with other academies with a view to enabling students to respect and value the civil and criminal law of England, democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; 4
Include in the curriculum material on the strengths and advantages of democracy in contrasts to other forms of government; Hold mock elections to give pupils the chance to learn how to argue and defend points of view; Use teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help pupils understand a range of faiths. Key points for academies Ensure all employees and volunteers know what to do if they see signs of radicalisation; Reduce the risk of extremist views being promoted during out of school hours; Help children s services work with schools and other agencies; Develop materials and products for teachers and support staff to use. Risks and Vulnerabilities Children and young people can be drawn into violence or they can be exposed to the messages of extremists groups by many means. These can include through the influence of family members or friends and/or direct contact with extremists groups and organisations and increasingly, through the internet. This can put children and young people at risk of being drawn into criminal activity and has the potential to cause significant harm. Examples of extremist s causes that have used violence to achieve their ends include animal rights, the far right, internal terrorists and international terrorist organisations. Safeguarding children and young people from radicalisation is no different from safeguarding them from any other form of harm. Potential Indicators Family tensions; Sense of isolation; Migration; Distance from cultural heritage; Experience of racism and/or discrimination; Change in behaviour, appearance and or name; Feeling of failure. It is important to be cautious in assessing these factors to avoid inappropriately labelling or stigmatising individuals because they possess a characteristic or fit a specific profile. It is therefore vital that all employees, volunteers and or professionals who have contact with vulnerable individuals are able to recognise those vulnerabilities and help to increase safe choices. Risk and Vulnerabilities Indicators Identity crisis Personal crisis 5
Support and Intervention Tier (1) Universal provision: Response should be appropriate and proportionate; Provided from within the normal range of universal provision working with other local agencies and partners; Responses could include curriculum provision, additional tutoring or mentoring, additional activities within or out of school, family support (need met through universal provision) Tier (2) Targeted Interventions: Higher level of targeted and multi-agency support and response based on formal multiagency assessment, where concerns are identified/signs of radicalisation which indicate the child/young person is vulnerable; The person raising the concern/s discusses their concern/s with the Channel Police lead who will make the decision as to whether a referral to Channel is required or if services at tier (2) are sufficient to manage and address the concern/s Tier (3) Specialist Interventions: An identified risk/potential risk that a child or young person may be involved /potentially involved in supporting or following extremism, further investigation by the police will be required prior to other assessments or interventions. A new strategy was re-launched in 2011 with a more target based upon the assumption that a terrorist attack was highly likely with a clear focus on Al Qa ida and targeted non-violent extremism as well as violent extremism. The Channel (Prevent Strategy) The Channel element of the PREVENT strategy is the process through which individuals are identified who may be particularly vulnerable to violent extremism. Channel was first piloted in 2007 and adopted across England and Wales in April 2012. Channel is an early intervention approach between local authorities, the police, statutory partners and the local community, involving a multi-agency panel designed to safeguard vulnerable individuals at risks of being drawn into extremist or terrorist behaviour. Safeguarding issues are managed as part of a broader work on community cohesion with children, young people and their families rather than focusing on extremism. This approach has placed a greater emphasis on prevention, linked to a programme of safer neighbourhoods and a need to intervene at earlier points before radicalisation takes place. The programme uses a multi-agency approach to protect vulnerable people by: Identifying individuals at risk; Assessing the nature and extent of the risk; Developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned. 6
The Legislation requires the following: Local authorities to ensure that a multi-agency panel exists in their area; Local Authority to chair the panel; The panel to prepare a support plan for individuals accepted as Channel cases; The panel to consider alternative forms of support, including health and social care where Channel is not appropriate. Channel Panels and Partners Members of the panel must include the responsible Local Authority and the police, NHS, Social Workers, Schools, further education colleges and universities, youth offending services, directors of children and adult services, chairs of local safeguarding children s boards and safeguarding adults boards, housing representatives and the probation service. Roles and Responsibilities The Channel Police Practioner (CPP) is responsible for coordinating Channel in their area. The Channel Chair is responsible for having an oversight of all Channel cases in their area Process Identifying vulnerable individuals; Referral Stage; Screening and information gathering stage; Cooperation by partners of the panel. Vulnerability and Risks There are a number of vulnerabilities and risk factors which can potentially increase a young persons susceptibility to radicalisation by extremist groups this includes the far right. There is a complex interplay between the individual community, family factors, including identity and belonging, alienation, boredom, denial and a lack of challenge which can derive out of passive support for racists and far right extremism, as well as inter-generational family attitudes and beliefs. Vulnerability assessment framework When considering the vulnerability of an individual consider the following: Engagement with a group cause or ideology; Intent to cause harm; Capability to cause harm. If you are in any doubt, refer to the LADO or local authority designated safeguarding team and or the Police. If the concern relates to an employee s conduct you must also advise your HR Business Partner. 7
Additional Information and useful documents: Sections 36 to 41: duty on local authorities and partners of local panels to provide support for people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism the Channel programme Section 38: partners of a panel must, so far as appropriate and reasonably practicable, act in co-operation with the panel and the police Section 38: partners must have regard to statutory guidance Departmental advice stressing that radicalisation and extremism are safeguarding concerns. Builds on statutory guidance across four general themes: - Risk assessment - Working in partnership - staff training - IT policies Individual schools are best placed to assess their training needs in the light of their assessment of the risk. As a minimum, however, schools should ensure that the Designated Safeguarding Lead undertakes Prevent awareness training and is able to provide advice and support to other members of staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation DfE/Home Office briefing note, referenced in Departmental advice Online general awareness training module on Channel. The module is suitable for school staff and other frontline workers. It provides an introduction to the topics covered by this advice, including how to identify factors that can make people vulnerable to radicalisation, and case studies illustrating the types of intervention that may be appropriate, in addition to Channel. 8
Definitions Radicalisation Extremism The process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism and in some cases, to then participate in terrorist groups The vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas. (HM Government Prevent Strategy 2011) 9