RELEVANT SECTION
RELEVANT INFORMATION
Prevent Duty Guidance (Home Office)
Channel duty guidance: protecting people susceptible to radicalisation (Home Office)
If you are a member of the public who has concerns about someone being radicalised into terrorism or supporting terrorism, the ACT Early website offers advice and guidance, including signs of radicalisation to look out for, and information on how to share those concern. In an emergency, always phone 999.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
Radicalisation is the process through which people come to hold increasingly extreme views or beliefs that support terrorist groups or activities. The most common types of terrorism in the UK are extreme right-wing terrorism and Islamist terrorism. Multi-agency working is key to supporting vulnerable adults (and children) who have been radicalised, or who are at risk of radicalisation.
For information about extremism and radicalisation of children and young people, see the Safeguarding Children Partnership procedures.
Extremism is defined as the promotion or advancement of an ideology or beliefs based on violence, hatred or intolerance that aims to:
- deny or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or
- undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of democracy and democratic rights; or
- deliberately create an environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).
(See Definition of Extremism, gov.uk)
Exposure to extremism can lead to radicalisation and acts of terrorism.
2. Government Approach to Preventing and Tackling Extremism and Terrorism
The national counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST aims to reduce risks of terrorism in the UK and overseas.
Prevent is one of the key parts of CONTEST and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism; it focuses on early intervention and safeguarding. Prevent is run locally by specialist staff who understand the risks and issues in the local area and know how best to support their communities. Through working together, organisations can identify people who are at risk of radicalisation and provide them with support. The objectives of Prevent are to:
- tackle the ideological causes (the beliefs) of terrorism;
- intervene early to support people to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism; and
- rehabilitate those who have become involved in terrorist activity.
The Prevent duty (Section 26, Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA) requires frontline staff working in specific organisations – including education, health, local authorities, police, prisons and probation – to work together to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It helps to make sure that people who are being radicalised are supported in the same way as they are under safeguarding processes.
3. Signs than an Adult is being Radicalised
Adults can be exposed to the messages of extremist groups or drawn into violence in different ways, including through family members, by direct contact with extremist groups or, most often, the internet.
Everyone is different and there is no single way of identifying who is at risk of being radicalised into terrorism or supporting terrorism. Signs that an adult is being radicalised include them:
- accessing extremist content online or downloading propaganda material;
- justifying the use of violence to solve issues / problems in society;
- altering their style of dress or appearance in line with an extremist group;
- being unwilling to engage with people who they see as different;
- using certain symbols associated with terrorist organisations.
The likelihood of an adult being radicalised is often linked to their vulnerability. Adults who are receiving care and support or protection because of their age, a disability, or because they have experienced abuse or neglect can be more vulnerable. In many cases, these factors or characteristics are relevant to how likely they are to be radicalised and to the types of early intervention support they will be offered through Prevent.
4.1 Notice
Staff working in frontline roles will often be the first to notice if an adult displays concerning behaviour. If staff notice behaviours that are a cause for concern, they should consider whether the adult is at risk of radicalisation.
There could be many different reasons for the behaviours, not just radicalisation. It is important to understand the context and try to find out why these changes are happening, before reaching conclusions too quickly.
4.2 Check
Concerns about radicalisation or extremism should then be checked with the designated safeguarding lead in the organisation. The Prevent lead in the local authority or local police can also be contacted for advice.
Before deciding whether to make a referral to Prevent, it is important to gather as much information as possible, to assess if the adult may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism.
Where there are concerns about radicalisation and extremism, relevant information should be shared by making a referral to the police for support under Prevent, using the Prevent national referral form (see Get help for radicalisation concerns , gov.uk). Staff can make the referral themselves or it can be made by their safeguarding lead, depending on the processes in their own organisation.
People who could be referred include those who:
- are accessing extremist materials, usually online or in books, leaflets or pamphlets;
- are repeating propaganda, grievances, and conspiracies based on violence, hatred or intolerance;
- may have been witnessed traumatic events in war or conflict zones, either in person or online;
- are showing signs of being intolerant to people from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures or with other protected characteristics.
REMEMBER – in an emergency, always ring 999.
5. Action Following a Prevent Referral
Once a referral is submitted to the local Prevent team, specialist police staff will assess it. Firstly, they will check if the adult is an immediate security threat. They will then check if there is a risk of radicalisation which means that the adult should be discussed at the local Channel panel to see if they are eligible for support through Prevent. This is called a ‘gateway assessment’. If the adult needs other support, this should continue unless there is a good reason not to do so.
Channel panels are chaired by the local authority, and attended by multi-agency partners such as police, education professionals, health services, housing and social services. They meet to discuss the referral, assess the risk, and, if appropriate, agree a package of support specific to the individual adult. Channel is a voluntary process, and the adult must give their consent before they receive support.
5.1 Mental capacity to consent to Channel
If there are concerns that the adult may not have mental capacity to consent to Channel support, a mental capacity assessment should be arranged (see Mental Capacity chapter).
If the assessment finds that the adult does not have mental capacity to make their own decision, any decision to consent to the Channel process which is made for the adult by other people must be in their best interests.
5.2 Safeguarding adults concerns
Where there are also safeguarding concerns about the adult or where there are radicalisation concerns involving a person in a position of trust, a safeguarding referral should be made to the safeguarding adults team (see also Section 6, Safeguarding).
For cases involving people in positions of trust, the chair of the Channel Panel will need to balance confidentiality with wider safeguarding concerns and should consider whether there is a need to notify relevant people (for example the person’s employer).
5.3 Types of support
The type of activities that are included in a support package will depend on risk factors, vulnerabilities, and local resources, but might include:
- religious / ideological (beliefs) support – structured sessions to understand, assess or challenge ideological, religious or fixed thinking, which must be considered for all cases;
- life skills – work on life skills or social skills, such as dealing with peer pressure;
- anger management sessions – formal or informal work dealing with issues of anger;
- cognitive / behavioural contact – cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) and general work on their attitudes and behaviours (CBT can help identify and change negative patterns of thought and behaviour);
- positive pursuits – supervised or managed positive leisure activities;
- education skills contact – activities focused on education or training;
- careers contact – activities focused on employment;
- family support contact – activities aimed at supporting family and personal relationships, including formal parenting programmes;
- health awareness contact – work aimed at assessing or addressing any physical or mental health issues;
- housing support – to address living arrangements / accommodation provision;
- drugs and alcohol awareness – substance misuse interventions;
- mentoring – work with a suitable adult as a role model to provide personal guidance or pastoral (emotional, social and spiritual) care.
If the family or carers are identified as a protective, positive factor for the adult, they should be involved with the process, so long as the adult agrees to this. This agreement can be included on the consent form used when the adult consents to receiving support from Channel.
Where Channel is not considered suitable for the adult, alternative options will be explored, such as support from mental health services. Where the adult has not given consent or risks cannot be managed in Channel, they will be kept under review by the police.
5.4 Closing a case
Where the Channel panel decides to close a case, the adult should be told that their case is being closed and that they will no longer receive support through Channel. They should also be told that ongoing support they are receiving through mainstream services (such as the NHS, police or probation) will continue.
Identifying a lead professional at the point of the adult’s case being closed provides reassurance that they can be brought back for discussion at the panel quickly, should concerns about them re-emerge.
The panel is best placed to identify which agencies will continue to engage with the adult after their case with Channel has been closed and to identify a lead professional. Frontline practitioners involved in providing continuing support must be informed that Channel no longer has oversight of the adult’s case and advised on how to re-refer them to Prevent if there are any future concerns.
Where the family / carers have been involved, they should be informed that the adult is no longer being supported through Channel, and that while some mainstream service provision will continue beyond this point, Channel will no longer be monitoring Prevent related concerns.
6. Safeguarding
There will be times when there are concerns that an adult meets the thresholds for a safeguarding enquiry, as they have care and support needs and are at risk of, or are experiencing, abuse or neglect.
The assessment and support provided through Channel can run alongside safeguarding processes. In this way, the Channel support will often overlap with wider safeguarding duties.
It is important that Prevent referrals are considered by the local authority and panel partners alongside their work to safeguard vulnerable adults. Where an adult is receiving care and support from adult social care, as well as support through Channel, their social worker should be present at the panel and be involved in all decisions. Channel can run alongside, but must not be replaced by, other safeguarding meetings where safeguarding thresholds have been met.
7. Information Sharing
When sharing personal data about adults at risk of radicalisation, it is important to adhere to the requirements of data protection legislation.
Data protection legislation is not intended to prevent the sharing of personal data, but to make sure that it is done lawfully and with appropriate safeguards in place. Under the Data Protection Act and UK GDPR, there must be a legal basis to share personal data. The Prevent Duty is a lawful basis on which to share data.
See also Data Protection and Information Sharing and Confidentiality chapters.
