The Prevent Duty places a statutory responsibility on public institutions, including education settings and childcare providers, with the aim of safeguarding against radicalisation (i.e. engagement in narratives or activity linked to violent extremism and/or terrorism). This duty sits within an education setting’s wider safeguarding remit and, as with other forms of exploitation and harm, should be considered as part of a contextual safeguarding framework.
In Waltham Forest, the Prevent Education offer is available to help all settings meet the Prevent Duty guidance, offering both universal and bespoke support across the borough. Our work with schools, colleges and other childcare providers seeks to safeguard against all forms of violent extremism and terrorism; these can include (but are not limited to) Far Right and Extreme Right Wing ideologies, Violent Islamist ideologies, Single-Issue Terrorism and Emerging Extremist Ideologies (formerly categorised as Mixed and Unclear ideologies).
The Prevent strategy is part of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism strategy, known as CONTEST.
In its most recent iteration, the Prevent Duty states that it “requires specified authorities such as education […] to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism”.
The Prevent Duty Guidance also lists specified authorities as including (but not limited to):
Further information is also included within the guidance regarding other provisions accessed by children and young people, including Out Of School Settings and FE/HE institutions.
Alongside the overarching requirements of the Prevent Duty, guidance provided by the Department for Education (DfE) states that, for those working in education or registered childcare settings, “[The Prevent Duty] includes safeguarding learners from extremist ideologies and radicalisation. Most importantly, providers should consider the needs of children, young people and adult learners at each stage of the safeguarding process. Providers should consider radicalisation concerns in line with their existing safeguarding processes, skills and experience”.
The DfE also offers further information and steps for education settings to follow to ensure effectively implementation of the Prevent Duty. This includes tools such as Prevent Risk Assessment Templates for all stages of education and additional guidance for Designated Safeguarding Leads to be able to identify and manage radicalisation risks amongst pupils.
The DfE Prevent Duty Guidance advises that,
“To comply with the Prevent duty, schools, colleges and further education independent training providers must show evidence of:
Each local authority has its own referral routes for safeguarding learners from radicalisation and extremism. Effective partnerships will ensure that you understand these processes”.
As such, the Waltham Forest Prevent Team currently offers a range of support to education settings in the borough, including:
For information on any of the above please contact the Prevent team via prevent@walthamforest.gov.uk
As part of our current provision, Waltham Forest Prevent Team offer a confidential and informal consultation service for those wishing to raise a potential concern relating to radicalisation, violent extremism and/or terrorism. Any individual wishing to refer a safeguarding concern of this kind is able to discuss with a member of the team, who will be able to signpost you to the most suitable referral pathway, be that via a specific Prevent referral or to other safeguarding services within the Local Authority. This process allows the team to not only ensure referrals are appropriate and proportionate, but can also create opportunities for universal, wraparound support where an educational institution has made contact.
Should an individual be referred to Prevent and assessed as susceptible to radicalisation, violent extremism or terrorism, they will be offered support through the Channel process. Channel is part of the Prevent strategy and provides a multi-agency approach to identify, discuss and offer support to individuals who are at risk of being drawn into violent extremism and terrorism.
Channel uses a multi‑agency approach to:
In Waltham Forest, Channel panels work in a similar manner to other safeguarding panels and mechanisms and involve a range of statutory partners, from Social Care to Mental Health, as well as other internal and external safeguarding partners on a case-by-case basis.
In 2023, the Prevent Duty Guidance was updated to include the theme of Reducing Permissive Environments.
Guidance states, “One way that Prevent seeks to tackle the ideological causes of terrorism is by limiting exposure to radicalising narratives, both online and offline, and to create an environment where radicalising ideologies are challenged and are not permitted to flourish.[…] Any actions taken to reduce the permissive space for radicalisation should be proportionate, lawful and appropriate”.
In response to this, the Waltham Forest Prevent Team have produced a range of support tools for education settings to meet this aspect of the updated duty, such as Venue Hire guidance and advice on Due Diligence processes.