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🚓Prevent Duty Policy
This policy was adopted on 17 December 2021 and will be reviewed annually
This policy is prepared using the following publications;
Policy Statement
From 1 July 2015 all schools, registered early years childcare providers and registered later years childcare providers (referred to in this advice as ‘childcare providers’) are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent duty. It applies to a wide range of public-facing bodies.
What is Extremism – the Prevent Duty
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) defines extremism. It states “Extremism goes beyond terrorism and includes people who target the vulnerable – including the young – by seeking to sow division between communities on the basis of race, faith or denomination; justify discrimination towards women and girls; persuade others that minorities are inferior; or argue against the primacy of democracy and the rule of law in our society.
Extremism is defined in the Counter Extremism Strategy 2015 as the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of members of our armed forces as extremist”
What is Radicalism?
Radicalism refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism. Protecting children from the risk of radicalisation is seen as part of Natural Nurture Nursery’s wider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting children from other forms of harm and abuse. During the process of radicalisation it is possible to intervene to prevent vulnerable people being radicalised
There is no single way of identifying an individual who is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology. It can happen in many different ways and settings. Specific background factors may contribute to vulnerability which are often combined with specific influences such as family, friends or online, and with specific needs for which an extremist or terrorist group may appear to provide an answer.
The internet and the use of social media in particular has become a major factor in the radicalisation of young people.
Radicalisation is a form of harm. The process may involve:
- Being groomed online or in person
- Exploitation, including sexual exploitation
- Psychological manipulation
- Exposure to violent material and other inappropriate information
- The risk of physical harm or death through extremist acts.
Constant Practice and Procedure
At Natural Nurture Nursery it is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and know what to do when they are identified. All the nursery staff, particularly the staff who work directly with the children are expected to assess the risk of children being drawn into terrorism, including support for extremist ideas that are part of terrorist ideology.
What we are looking for?
- Changes in family behaviour e.g a sudden disrespectful attitude towards other, isolating themselves from family & friends
- Changes in the children’s behaviour, eg aggression towards others
- Comments made by a child which may cause concern, e.g. commenting on what their mummy or daddy has said, talking about fighting for “the cause” etc
- Comments made by family members, e.g about certain faiths, beliefs, cultures, with an unwillingness or inability to discuss their views.
- Any other signs that family members may be showing extremism.
Protecting children from the risk of radicalisation should is seen as the Natural Nurture’s wider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting children from other harms (e.g. drugs, gangs, neglect, sexual exploitation), whether these come from within their family or are the product of outside influences.
Staff should use their professional judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act proportionately which may include making a referral to the Channel program (see appendix one for further information on Channel)
What we do to eliminate extremism and support acceptance at Natural Nurture
We support children through the teaching of personal, social and emotional skills and development and enable children to be accepting and tolerant of other’s views and beliefs whilst challenging constructively what they disagree with. We do this by
- Working through disagreements with their peers over resource sharing, activity choosing and role taking
- Role modelling desired behaviours and mannerisms
- Talking about feelings and opinions
- Celebrating all faiths and beliefs
We will also...
- Train all staff to understand what is meant by the Prevent Duty and radicalisation
- Ensure staff understand how to recognise early indicators of potential radicalisation and terrorism threats and act on them appropriately in line with national and local procedures
- Make any referrals relating to extremism to the police (or the Government helpline) in a timely way, sharing relevant information as appropriate
Procedure for reporting concerns
- If a member of staff has a concern about a particular child they should follow the nursery’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the nursery’s designated safeguarding lead.
- If the child is not in immediate danger they should call 101 (the non emergency police phone number) and ask to speak to the Sussex Police Prevent Team. They can talk to you in confidence about your concerns and help you gain access to support and advice. Also, they can advise if this would be a case for Channel or email them at [email protected]ssex.pnn.police.uk
- If the child is in immediate danger they should call 999
- The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly.
- Concerns can also be raised by email to [email protected]
Appendix one
Channel
Channel is a programme which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It provides a mechanism for schools to make referrals if they are concerned that an individual might be vulnerable to radicalisation. An individual’s engagement with the programme is entirely voluntary at all stages.
Section 36 of the CTSA 2015 places a duty on local authorities to ensure Channel panels are in place. The panel must be chaired by the local authority and include the police for the relevant local authority area. Following a referral the panel will assess the extent to which identified individuals are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, and, where considered appropriate and necessary consent is obtained, arrange for support to be provided to those individuals.
Channel is available at:
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