Protecting children from extremism

Prevent is part of CONTEST, the UK government’s counter-terrorism strategy and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. This is done by;

• tackling the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism.
• safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early help and offering them support
• help those who have already got involved in terrorism to disengage.

• Terrorism…is an action or threat designed to influence the government or frighten the public. Its purpose is to forward a political, religious or ideological cause.

• Extremism … is the vocal or active opposition to our universal values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs. This includes calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist.

• Radicalisation … the process of making someone take on radical positions on political or social issues

The murder of Jo Cox                                                                   The Manchester Arena Bombing   

Whatever the ideology, extremists want to attract more people to agree with them and support their cause. Because young people are less experienced in recognising who they are talking to and what their motives are they can be easier to influence. Radicalisers befriend young people, often online or through social media, through the games that they play and the interests that they research.

Radicalisation is like any other sort of grooming – befriend the young person to get what you want.

A young person who is being radicalised will start to accept views which are harmful to themselves and others, leading to hate speech, possible hate crime and more serious behaviour leading to criminal offences linked to either malicious communications or counter-terrorism.

They might start to share extremist material, make their own material to share or plan to carry out some form of attack. Radicalisers will use young people to stop themselves being arrested.

If you are worried that this might be happening access Act Early Advice Line - 0800 011 3764. Alternatively, you can call the Police on 101 or if you think that there is an immediate risk call 999.

This list is not exhaustive and does not mean your child is being radicalised, maybe there is something else going on that they need help with.

When responding to terrorist attacks or distressing world events:

• Listen to their worries and fears and talk about what has caused them.
• Give reassurance and comfort – particularly important if they are responding to a terrorist event.
• Avoid complicated or alarming explanations of events.
• Encourage your child to consider other viewpoints and to check the facts behind the information that they are looking at. Radicalisers will use conspiracy theories and fake news to draw people in.
• If they are affected by a terrorist or distressing world events you can find advice and support from

Most radicalisation takes place on-line. Make sure that you have:

• the appropriate parental controls in place.
• you are familiar with the platforms and apps that your children are using. Parentzone has lots of information in their digital library.
• talked about boundaries with your child including an appropriate level of screen time.

Radicalisation follows similar patterns to other forms of grooming, protecting your child from inappropriate contact reduces the risk of any form of grooming including radicalisation.

If you have concerns about material that you or your child has seen on-line or on-line abuse report it to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOPS) .

Again the list is not exhaustive but it would be a good idea to talk about what is happening. The NSPCC has some useful guidance about how to talk to your child about radicalisation.

The most important thing to do is get them help – just like you would if they had been groomed for any other purpose or you were worried about their safety in any other way. You can:

• Call the Police on 101 or if you think that there is an immediate risk call 999.
• speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at your childs school/college, who can access the Prevent referral for you.
• Contact the Bradford Prevent office yourself using the contact details below

Bradford Prevent Office

The Prevent Team Consists of:

Danielle King, Prevent Co-ordinator

Email: danielle.king@bradford.gov.uk tel: 07870991647

Rachel Lee, Prevent Education Officer 

Email: rachel.lee@bradford.gov.uk tel: 07484923127

It might be that someone else is worried about your child and their safety. Some of the people who might have worries about your child could be their teachers, doctors, health visitors, friends or neighbours. They may have concerns and feel your child may require support and so they have made a referral to see if we can help.

The most important thing to remember is that this is about keeping your child safe, protecting them from harm and preventing them from committing a crime.

Referrals are checked for suitability and if suitable the case is passed to the local authority Channel Panel.

Channel is a voluntary, multi-agency panel involving health, social care, education, police, mental health services and more. They are all professionals and they discuss cases in absolute confidence.  Channel is chaired by the local authority and is independent of the Police. Together the panel will assess if a referral can be helped and what help is needed. The police stay in touch with families to keep them informed about what is happening and to offer advice and support.

The help offered might be mentorship, distraction through sports or other activities and is tailor made to support the individual. Channel reviews take place every month and when it is felt that the person is no longer at risk or a risk to others they are then reviewed after three months, six months and then a year. At this point the person is no longer part of the Channel process.

If a Channel referral is accepted it is highly likely that alternative support would be given, probably through an authorised mentoring programme. This is voluntary and confidential.

The school would be involved as one of the agencies working with your child. Involvement is at a senior level and is part of the confidential process where information is shared on a ‘need to know basis’. The Prevent Education Officer, who sits on the Channel Panel, will work with the school to ensure that support is running smoothly. They may also work with the school to build child’s resilience to radicalisation through the curriculum.