Prevent Duty Policy

This document incorporates how we will as a business:

Have a legal responsibility to fulfil the Prevent Duty Statement – reference 1,6
Protect Learners and employees from radicalising influences – reference – 6,2,3.
Ensure Learners and employees are resilient to extreme narratives – reference -6,2,3.
Identify changes in behaviour of Learners and employees – reference – 6,3
Deal with any issues raised by Learners or employees – reference – 6 and the complaints policy

1. Responsibilities

As part of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, Workforce Training and Development (WTD) have a duty to ‘prevent people being drawn into terrorism’. This has become known as the ‘Prevent Duty’.

Where Staﬀ are concerned that Learners are developing extremist views or show signs of becoming radicalised, they should discuss this with the Designated Safeguarding Manager.

The Designated Safeguarding Manager has received training about the Prevent Duty and tackling extremism and is able to support Staﬀ with any concerns they may have.

We use training to ensure that Learners understand how people with extreme views share these with others, especially using the internet.

Staﬀ should be alert to changes in Learners behaviour, which could indicate that they may need help or protection. Staﬀ should use their judgement in identifying Learners who might be at risk of radicalisation and act proportionately which may include the Designated Safeguarding Manager making a Prevent referral.

This policy and its procedures will apply to:

Employees of WTD
Learners
Contractors
Employers providing an Learnership.
All other users of WTD
All WTD Training activities

The policy and procedure will always apply when WTD is providing services or activities that come under the responsibility of the organisation.

WTD recognises that the Prevent Strategy is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who encounters Learners, their families and carers, has a role to play.

2. What is Terrorism/Extremism

Terrorism covers all forms of extremism, both violent and non-violent and is defined in the national Prevent Strategy as any 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. This also includes calling for the death of members of the armed forces.

‘Prevent’ covers internal and domestic terrorist threats, and includes the activities of far-right groups, and animal rights groups.

The government has defined extremism in the Prevent strategy as

1. negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or

2. undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and

democratic rights; or

3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).

What are British Values? British Values are defined as “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with diﬀerent faiths and beliefs”; institutions are expected to encourage learners to respects others particularly the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.

3. Radicalisation

Radicalisation is defined as the process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism and, in some cases, to then participate in terrorist groups. There is no obvious profile of a person likely to become involved in extremism or a single indicator of when a person might move to adopt violence in support of extremist ideas.

Learners may be vulnerable to extremist ideology and radicalisation. Like protecting Learners from other forms of harm and abuse, protecting Learners from this risk is part of our safeguarding approach.

There is no single way of identifying whether a learner is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology. Background factors combined with specific influences such as family and friends may contribute to a learner’s vulnerability. Similarly, radicalisation can occur through many diﬀerent methods (such as social media) and settings (such as the internet).

Early indicators of radicalisation or extremism may include:

showing sympathy for extremist causes
glorifying violence, especially to other faiths or cultures
making remarks or comments about being at extremist events or rallies outside school, college, university or other settings
evidence of possessing illegal or extremist literature
advocating messages similar to illegal organisations or other extremist groups
out of character changes in dress, behaviour and peer relationships (but there are also very powerful narratives, programmes and networks that young people can come across online so involvement with particular groups may not be apparent.)
secretive behaviour
online searches or sharing extremist messages on social network profiles.
intolerance of diﬀerence, including faith, culture, gender, race, or sexuality
graﬃti, artwork or writing that displays extremist themes.
attempts to impose extremist views or practices on others.
verbalising anti-Western or anti-British views
advocating violence towards others

It is possible to protect vulnerable people from extremist ideology and intervene to prevent those at risk of radicalisation being radicalised. As with other safeguarding risks, staﬀ should be alert to changes in Learners behaviour, which could indicate that they may be in need of help or protection.

Where deemed appropriate, WTD will seek external support for Learners through referrals to the Channel Program. This program aims to work with the individuals to address their specific vulnerabilities and prevent them becoming further radicalised.

4. The Prevent Duty

The Prevent duty should be part of schools, college, universities and training providers wider safeguarding obligations. Designated Safeguarding Leads and other senior leaders should familiarise themselves with the revised Prevent Duty guidance: for England and Wales, especially paragraphs 57-76, which are specifically concerned with schools (and covers childcare). The guidance is set out in terms of four general themes: Risk assessment, working in partnership, staﬀ training, and IT policies.

5. What is Channel?

Channel is a key element of the Prevent Strategy. It is a multi-agency approach to protect people at risk from radicalisation using collaboration between local authorities, statutory partners, the police and local community to:

Identify individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism.
Assess the nature and extent of that risk.
Develop the most appropriate support plan for the individual concerned.

The following indicators identify factors that may suggest a young person, or their family may be vulnerable to being drawn into extremism:

Identify crisis – distance from culture religious heritage and uncomfortable with their place in the society around them.
Personal crisis – family tensions, sense of isolation, adolescence low self-esteem, disassociation from existing friendship groups and becoming involved with a new and diﬀerent group of friends searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging.
Personal circumstances - migration, local community tensions, events aﬀecting Country and region, alienation from UK values having a sense of grievance that is triggered by personal experience of racism or discrimination or aspects of Government policy, unmet aspirations, perceptions of injustice feeling of failure, rejection of civic life, criminality, experiences of imprisonment, poor resettlement, reintegration, previous involvement with criminal groups.

The process of radicalisation is diﬀerent for every individual and can take place over an extended period or within a very short time frame. Safeguarding from extremism is no diﬀerent to how staﬀ would share a concern about drugs, physical and sexual abuse or any other safeguarding concern. Potential indicators of radicalisation are listed below.

Use of inappropriate language
Possession or accessing violent extremist literature.
Behavioural changes
The expression of extremist views
Advocating violent actions and means
Association with known extremists
Articulating support for violent extremist causes or leaders
Using extremist views to explain personal disadvantage.
Joining or seeking to join extremist organisations.
Seeking to recruit others to an extremist ideology.

Any prejudice, discrimination, or extremist views, including derogatory language, displayed by Learners or staﬀ will always be challenged and where appropriate will be dealt with in line with the Learners Disciplinary Policy and the Code of Conduct for staﬀ. Staﬀ should use their professional judgement and discuss with the Designated Safeguarding Lead if they have any concerns. Once assessed, and if appropriate, this will be referred into the Channel Panel Process.

6. Responsibilities of WTD and our duty to Learners

The Senior Leadership Team will.

Ensure that WTD has an eﬀective Prevent Policy in place which is updated annually, kept on display for all to see, and that WTD contributes to inter-agency working in line with statutory guidance ’Working Together To Safeguard Children 2015’ and ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020’.
Ensure that the Prevent arrangements consider the procedures and practice of the local authority as part of the interagency safeguarding procedures set up by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
Ensure that WTD complies with the Prevent Duty as set out in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015.
Ensure that the policies and procedures in place enable appropriate action to be taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote Learners’ welfare.
Appoint a SLT Member with responsibility for Prevent who will liaise with the CEO and the Designated Safeguarding Manager.
Ensure that a Designated Safeguarding Manager is appointed to lead on Prevent, advise/support staﬀ and liaise with the Local Authority and other agencies. He/she will have status/authority to carry out the role e.g. commit resources to prevent and direct staﬀ as appropriate.
Give scrutiny to regular reports which will provide detail on the numbers and types of prevent concerns which have arisen.
Ensure that any deficiencies or weaknesses in Prevent arrangements are remedied without delay.
Ensure that a member of the Board is nominated to liaise with the designated oﬃcer for the relevant local authority and partner agencies in the event of a Prevent concern allegation being made against the CEO.

The CEO has:

Overall responsibility for and oversight of Prevent within WTD and will ensure through WTD Senior Management Team and the Personal Development Welfare and Behavior Action Group that:

Prevent policies and procedures and any linked prevent policies are fully implemented and followed by all staﬀ.
All staﬀ feel able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice regarding Learners and that concerns will be addressed sensitivity and in a timely and appropriate manner.
Policy/procedures are available to parents/carers and employers on request in addition to being listed on the WTD website and uploaded to Learners e-portfolio.

The Designated/Deputy Safeguarding Lead/s will:

Ensure that the Prevent policy, is reviewed annually and the procedures and implementation are reviewed regularly by the Personal Development, Welfare and Behavior Action Group and the Board.
Ensure that the Prevent Policy is available publicly and that parents/carers and employers know referrals may be made and the role of WTD in this.
Provide an Annual Safeguarding report for the SLT, detailing any changes to the policy and procedures; training undertaken by self, staﬀ with specific responsibility and all other staﬀ and SLT members and number and types of incidents/cases.
Ensure the quality assurance of the provision of Prevent information, advice and guidance and procedures.
Ensure there is liaison with employers providing Learnerships to ensure proper Prevent arrangements are in place.
Act as a source of support, advice and expertise to staﬀ on matters of Prevent Duty, when deciding to make a referral, by liaising with relevant agencies.
Keep detailed, accurate, confidential and secure written records of concerns, disclosures and referrals. Ensure all such records are kept confidentially and securely.
Liaise with the Safeguarding Team/ any other relevant staﬀ to inform of any issues/ongoing investigations via the Safeguarding Panel.
Ensure the Safeguarding Team act as a key point of referral for Learners/staﬀ/ parents/carers, oﬀer advice, assess information promptly, act or refer on to the Designated/Deputy Safeguarding Lead so that WTD can respond swiftly and appropriately to all concerns referrals and disclosures.
Have access to resources and attend any relevant or refresher training courses at least every two years.

The Personal Development Welfare and Behaviour Action Group will:

Oversee and review the Prevent Policy and Procedures, including linked policies.
Raise awareness of developments in Prevent legislation and good practice.
Ensure the quality assurance of provision of Prevent information, advice and guidance.
Ensure compliance with national guidance through annual audits.
Receive and commission reports from the Safeguarding panel.
Receive and monitor reports relating to Prevent in the curriculum.
Monitor the staﬀ and Boards’ workforce development record in relation to Prevent.

Trainers will:

Be familiar with the process to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice regarding Learners
Ensure that the Prevent Policy is available publicly in training rooms and within learner e-portfolios.
Regularly update CPD and training relating to Prevent Duty

Learners will:

Receive a full and thorough Information, Advice and Guidance session detailing WTD’s commitment to Prevent Duty
Receive a full Learnership induction confirming WTD’s commitment to Prevent Duty and the measures put in place to protect Learners from radicalising influences.
Have access to WTD Prevent Policy in their e-portfolio.
Be aware of how to raise a confidential Note of Concern/Disclosure Form
Receive regular Trainer/Skills Coach support where learner behaviours are monitored for changes.
Receive regular WTD Newsletters with an ongoing thread including Safeguarding and Prevent Duty

Induction Training

Induction Training for staﬀ is mandatory and should include a minimum of:

the Prevent Policy.
the Safeguarding Policy
the Safer Recruitment Policy
the Staﬀ Behaviour Policy (sometimes called a Code of Conduct).

DSL to attend training every two years; and in addition to formal training, their knowledge and skills are refreshed at regular intervals, at least annually.

All other staﬀ receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates as required, but at least annually, to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard Learners eﬀectively.

Training staﬀ receive more thorough training to assist with the delivery of Prevent and British values to all Learners.

8. Appendix A

All prevent concerns should be submitted to the Safeguarding Manager on the note of concern form immediately.

Laura Faulkner is WTD’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If at any time Learners and, or a WTD staﬀ member would like to speak to the DSL they are able to do so via email;

Laura@wtd.co.uk

Appendix B

Notice of Concern Disclosure Form - Download Here

Authorised by

Pauline Price

COO

Workforce Training & Development