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Prevent is part of the British Government’s programme for tackling terrorism. This programme is called CONTEST and it has four key workstreams:
- Pursue – Try to stop terrorist attacks from happening
- Prevent – Trying to stop people becoming terrrorist’s or supporting terrorism
- Protect – Trying to strengthen our protection from a terrorist attack
- Prepare – Trying to mitigate the impact of terrorist attacks
Responsibilities
The threat that the UK faces from terrorism has never been greater nor more diverse, and it is important as health professionals that we are aware of and understand the risks posed to our patients and staff of being exploited by radicalisers and those who seek to draw vulnerable individuals into criminal activity.
Prevent is a safeguarding process, which focuses on all forms of terrorism and operates in a pre-criminal space, providing appropriate support to vulnerable individuals at risk of being exploited or groomed into terrorist activity before any crimes are committed.
Healthcare professionals have a key role to play in safeguarding children or adults who may be at risk and are often well placed to notice the signs that someone is being radicalised.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults is everyone’s responsibility and Prevent does not require people to do anything in addition to their normal duties.
What is important is that if you are concerned that a vulnerable individual is being exploited in this way, you can raise these concerns in accordance with your organisation’s policies and procedures.
Why Is Prevent Important?
We meet an awful lot of people. Almost everyone in Britain who has become involved with terrorism will have met other people at some point. So we may have opportunities to identify people who are at risk.
People can become radicalised or drawn into terrorism. It could affect one of your colleagues, clients, relatives, friends or neighbours.
People must be able to recognise signs of radicalisation and be confident in referring individuals who can then receive support before they go any further.
Prevent is trying to stop individuals being drawn into terrorist-related activity.
Prevent does not require you to do anything in addition to your normal duties.
However, if you are concerned that a client or team member is being exploited or influenced by a group that supports terrorism, you are expected to raise this concern.
Possible Signs Of Vulnerability To Radicalisation
They may be in any age group, including children. They may be influenced by family members or friends, direct contact with extremist groups and organisations or, increasingly, through the internet and social media.
People who are vulnerable in other ways may also be vulnerable to radicalisation.
Being vulnerable doesn’t turn someone into a terrorist – most people have some sort of vulnerability in their lives.
But when lots of vulnerabilities come together, it may be easier for a radical group to target the person and influence them.
Some Factors That May Cause Vulnerability
Mental health factors:
- Mental illness.
- Learning difficulties.
- Personality problems.
- Low self-esteem.
Difficult life experiences:
- Isolation, loneliness, bullying.
- Family upheaval.
- Feeling excluded from mainstream society because of unemployment, poverty or racism.
- Immigration, migration and distance from their cultural heritage.
- Feeling aggrieved because of the lack of opportunity or being let down by others or by society.
- Drug and alcohol misuse.
Who you know and who you meet:
- Spending time in a setting where there are other people with extreme views.
- Contact with gangs, criminal groups.
- Exposure to propaganda.
- Peer pressure from others who are radicalised themselves.
- Being targeted by groups or individuals who recognise vulnerability.
Events or issues in this country or elsewhere, which lead the individual to feel alienated from all or part of the mainstream of society, such as:
- War or sanctions harm a country or group with which the individual has ties or allegiances.
- National policies support an objective or group to which the individual is strongly opposed.
- The dominance of groups or ideologies which oppress or disempower other groups within society.
- An increasing trend of extremist violence may normalise this as a means of achieving political ends.
Signs That An Individual Is Being Groomed
The below are some of the signs that an individual may be being groomed into radicalisation, bearing in mind that there is no single profile.
- They may become withdrawn and stop participating in their usual activities.
- They may go missing from their home, school or care setting.
- They may possess or be searching for extremist literature online, or be secretive about their internet interests, e.g. switching screens when you come near their phone or computer.
- They may become more aggressive and fixated on certain ideas or political views.
Views and InterestsThey may show changes in views and interests:
- Developing a conviction that their religion, culture or beliefs are under threat and treated unjustly.
- A tendency to look for conspiracy theories and distrust of mainstream media.
- Using language that supports ‘us and them’ thinking.
- Getting preoccupied with feelings of hatred or anger about particular mainstream or minority groups.
- Loss of interest in previous activities or friends.
- Adopted by new friendship groups.
- Certain ideas or political views.
A change in appearance such as:
- Changing dress or style to accord with a new group.
- Possession of materials, tattoos or symbols associated with an extremist cause (e.g. the swastika for far-right groups).
Concerns that an individual may be vulnerable to radicalisation does not mean that you think the person is a terrorist, it means that you are concerned that they are at risk of being exploited or groomed by others.
If you have a concern that a client is being radicalised, you should raise this with your local branch owner who will raise it with the Safeguarding Adults Team. In an emergency out of hours, contact the police on 999 for advice.
An adult at risk of abuse may ask you not to report the concern or abuse to other agencies such as the police or social services, due to:
- The distress caused by the situation.
- Uncertainty about procedures and consequences.
- Unresolved and conflicting feelings.
This refusal to consent to a referral must be respected if the individual has capacity to make the refusal, however, when it is suspected that a crime has been committed or, when there are wider risks to others (except in the case of HIV transmission), an individual’s wishes cannot overrule an organisation’s legal duty to act. (Please refer back to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998).
Remember: Safeguarding adults is your responsibility, if you don’t do something who will? To read further details of safeguarding please click here.
