Our Policies
Prevent Policy
The Prevent Policy applies to the whole company and all its employees. It should be read in conjunction with the Safeguarding Children Policy and the Promoting Fundamental British Values Policy. The national Prevent Strategy aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
The Alt Prov seeks to play a key role in ensuring that the children and young people who attend our provisions are safe from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is part of the company’s wider responsibility for Safeguarding and this policy is therefore linked to our Safeguarding Children Policy.
The Prevent Strategy identifies that young people are more likely to be vulnerable to violent extremist or terrorist narratives, including non-violent extremism which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit. The Government’s Prevent Strategy defines extremism as ‘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.
We believe that The Alt Prov should be a safe place for children and young people. In order to fulfil our Prevent Duty, we undertake to do the following:
- Actively promote Fundamental British Values, including mutual respect, tolerance and democratic participation.
- Respect children and staff diversity, encouraging freedom and openness
- Assess the risk of children in our provisions being drawn into terrorism
- Maintain robust safeguarding policies which take into account the policies and procedures set out by the Government and identify extremism/ radicalisation as issues to be reported promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Train staff so that they have the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism, and to challenge extremist ideas which can be used to legitimise terrorism
- Conduct due diligence checks on visitors to our provisions, particularly visiting speakers.
- Ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when in our care
- Review our policies annually.
Possible Indicators of Risk:
∙ Racist graffiti/ symbols/ comments made in our provisions
∙ Speaking out or writing in favour of extremist ideas in any work
∙ Extreme comments shared on social media
∙ Distribution of extreme or terrorist propaganda among other children
∙ Vulnerable students being influenced by others (although we are aware of a need to avoid oversimplified assessments of who might be ‘vulnerable’), because of the existence of one or more factors, which may include:
- An identity crisis, involving an individual’s distance from their cultural/religious heritage, including peer/ family/ faith group rejection
- A personal crisis, including family tension/ social isolation/ friendship issues
- Personal circumstances, such as migration, experience of racism
- Unmet aspirations
- Criminality
o Experience of poverty, disadvantage, discrimination or social exclusion
∙ Association with those known to be involved in extremism (including via the internet)
∙ A significant shift in the child/ young person’s behaviour or outward appearance, particularly involving conflict with his/her family and/or faith group
∙ Travel for extended periods of time to international locations known to be associated with extremism
∙ Disguising of a child’s identity, e.g., in documentation
∙ A simplistic or flawed understanding of religious/ political/ global issues
∙ A significant adult or other in the child/ young person’s life who has extremist views or sympathies
∙ Critical risk factors, being:
o Contact with extremist recruiters
o Articulation of support for extremist causes/ leaders
o The possession of extremist literature
o Using extremist narratives and a global ideology to explain personal disadvantage
o Justifying the use of violence to solve societal issues
o Membership of extremist organisations. Supportive Interventions
Channel is the multi-agency approach to protect people at risk from radicalisation and aims 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 individuals concerned.
Should concerns require support from other agencies, the following are ways in which terrorism and extremism can be reported:
- Anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321
- Crime stoppers: 0800 555 111
- Relevant police force: 101
- www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-activity-to-mi5
To report any online terrorist-related material: www.gov.uk