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Lewisham Safeguarding Children Partnership

If you are worried about the welfare or safety of a child or young person

Email: mashagency@lewisham.gov.uk

Tel: 020 8314 6660

Lewisham Safeguarding Children Partnership

Email: safeguardingpartnership@lewisham.gov.uk

Tel: 020 8314 3396

Prevent Strategy

What is CONTEST and the Prevent Strategy?

The Prevent Strategy is one of the key elements of CONTEST, the Government's counter- terrorism strategy and it aims to stop people from being drawn into terrorist-related activity. Prevent has strong links to safeguarding because vulnerable children and adults can be susceptible to radicalisation and recruitment into violent extremist and terrorist organisations.

CONTEST has four strands:

  1. Protect: Strengthen our protection against terrorist attack.
  2. Prepare: Mitigate the impact of an attack.
  3. Pursue: Stop a terrorist attack.
  4. Prevent: Stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism by:
    • responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it,
    • preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and ensuring that they are given appropriate advice and support,
    • working with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

What does the Prevent Duty mean for Statutory Organisations in Lewisham?

Since 2015, statutory agencies have a duty under the Counter Terrorism & Security Act "to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism". This means that local authorities should:

  • Establish strategic and operational links with other specified authorities,
  • Facilitate the assessment of risk for specified authorities, including providing advice and sharing threat assessments based on the Counter Terrorism Local Profiles (CTLP),
  • Provide a range of training products (including but not limited to Workshops to Raise Awareness of Prevent - WRAP) to all specified authorities,
  • Understand the full range of bodies affected by the new duties, and ensure they understand their responsibilities,
  • Embed Prevent into commissioning, procurement, and grant funding processes,
  • Embed Prevent into Safeguarding Policies and ensure all providers are signed up to local Safeguarding arrangements.In Lewisham, work has been taking place to ensure that all relevant agencies are complying with their obligations under the 2015 Counter Terrorism & Security Act. This includes delivering briefings, training and advice.

Compliance in Lewisham

In Lewisham, work has been taking place to ensure that all relevant agencies are complying with their obligations under the 2015 Counter Terrorism & Security Act. This includes delivering briefings, training and advice.

Prevent in Lewisham operates a Strategic Board – the Prevent Delivery Group – and a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Panel – Channel.

Lewisham Prevent Service

LBL Prevent are available to assist agencies in complying with their Counter Terrorism Act duties. The support offer includes: 

  • The provision of Workshops to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP training for frontline staff),
  • Management briefings regarding Prevent Duty compliance,
  • Coordination of strategic and operational groups,
  • The provision of Prevent-related resources and dissemination of relevant information.

Safeguarding children and young people against radicalisation and extremism

Islamist extremism remains the dominant UK terror threat, however the fastest-growing UK terrorist threat is from the Far Right.

There have been several cases where extremist groups have attempted to radicalise vulnerable children. This can include justifying political, religious, sexist, or racist violence, or to steer individuals towards an ideology of extremism and intolerance. A young person might be groomed and radicalised into carrying out acts of violence and cause significant harm to others.

There are several ways in which children and young people can be at risk of radicalisation

  • They can be groomed either online or in person by people seeking to draw them into extremist activity.
  • Young people can be radicalised online via peer networks or online chat platforms.
  • Grooming of a young person can also be carried out by those who hold harmful, extremist beliefs, including parents/carers and siblings and even wider family members who have an influence over the young person's life.
  • Young people can be exposed to violent, anti-social, extremist imagery and narratives which can lead to normalising intolerance of others and extremist ideology.

As with other forms of safeguarding strategies, early intervention is essential. All agencies working with children and young people, along with families and communities can play a vital role in ensuring young people and their communities are safe from the threat of radicalisation, extremist ideologies and terrorism.

If you are concerned that a child, young person and/or parents/carers or other family members may hold extremist views or are at risk of being radicalised, it is important to ensure that they receive support to protect them from being drawn into terrorism.

Making a Referral

If you are worried about a child or a young person you should follow your own organisation’s child protection procedures without delay.

If a child is in immediate risk call 999.

MASH Team Telephone: 020 8314 6660 Email mashagency@lewisham.gov.uk

If you have any questions regarding Prevent in Lewisham you can contact the Prevent Manager by email prevent@lewisham.gov.uk or 07710 387 930

Training:

Prevent Referrals

The training is for anyone who has been through the Prevent awareness eLearning or a Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP), and so already understands Prevent and of their role in safeguarding vulnerable people. 

The package shares best practice on how to articulate concerns about an individual and ensure that they are robust and considered.

It is aimed at anyone who may be able to notice signs of vulnerability to radicalisation and seeks to give them confidence in referring on for help if appropriate. It is also designed for those (for example line managers) who may receive referrals and need to consider how to respond, whether that be establishing more context, or reaching out to partner agencies for support. A link to the training is below. 

E-Learning

Prevent Home Office awareness eLearning

The Prevent awareness eLearning has recently been refreshed. This includes updates to reflect the recommendations from the Parsons Green review, updated information following the change in threat and recent attacks, and new case studies. A link to the training is below. 

Prevent E-Learning

http://www.elearning.prevent.homeoffice.gov.uk

Prevent Referrals E-Learning

https://www.elearning.prevent.homeoffice.gov.uk/preventreferrals

Channel Awareness

This training package is for anyone who may be asked to contribute to, sit on, or even run a Channel Panel. It is aimed at all levels, from a professional required to input and attend a Channel Panel meeting for the first time, to a member of staff new to their role and organising a panel meeting. It covers an introduction to what Channel is, how it operates in the local area, and how to organise a Channel Panel for the first time. In response to feedback, it also covers information sharing, including how, when and with whom to share information of a Channel case. A link to the Channel Panel training is below.  

https://www.elearning.prevent.homeoffice.gov.uk/channelawareness

Public Advice

  • If you see or hear anything that could be terrorist-related, trust your instincts and call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
  • If you think you have seen a person acting suspiciously, or if you see a vehicle, unattended package or bag which might be an immediate threat, move away and call 999.
  • If you are involved in an incident follow police advice to: 'RUN, HIDE AND TELL'   
  • Download the citizenAID App , which provides safety and medical advice from Google Play, Apple App or the Windows Store, for free.  

Guidance

Resources for parents and practitioners

      General online safety guidance

        Safeguarding Vulnerable Children & Young People from Extremism (Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP))

        Target Group:  All professionals working with children, young people and adults in the Borough of Lewisham.

        The session is intended to:

        • Develop an understanding of the Prevent Strategy & roles within it
        • Develop existing expertise and professional judgement in relation to extremism and radicalisation or recruitment to extremist groups
        • Increase awareness of the national / international picture of extremism and terrorism
        • Raise awareness of the links between online risks and radicalisation
        • Improve confidence to raise concerns.
        • Raise awareness of the Channel interventions, safeguarding the individual
        • Increase the whole organisations capacity to prevent extremism and safeguard
        • vulnerable people.

        The webinars will include an introductory presentation and Q&A session.

        Hosted by the Lewisham Prevent Team

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