Supporting Children and Young People Vulnerable to Radicalisation

Supporting Children and Young People Vulnerable to Radicalisation and Violent Extremism ‘Prevent Duty’ St Joseph’s High School September 2015

Extremism is defined, in Prevent, as: ‘Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths & beliefs’. We also include in this definition of extremism: ‘calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas’

Background… • Nationally young people are being recruited into groups promoting hatred, discrimination and sometimes violence against those who are not part of their organisation. • Several hundred young British people have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with IS. • Others have been recruited to commit acts of terrorism in this country.

• The threat is not just from radical religious groups such as ‘Islamic State’ but also from radical ‘far right’ and other political groups who may attempt to radicalise children and young people; • There is now a statutory duty on a range of Government organisations working with the public, including the police, local authorities, prisons, schools and universities, to prevent people being drawn into terrorism.

• • CONTEST is the current Government Counter Terrorism Strategy, made up of four strands: Pursue - aims to stop terrorist attacks in the UK and against our interests overseas; Prevent - aims to stop radicalisation, reduce support for terrorism and violent extremism and discourage people from becoming terrorists; Protect - aims to strengthen against terrorist attack, including borders, utilities, transport, infrastructure and crowded places; Prepare - aims mitigate the impact of a terrorist incident where it cannot be stopped.

PREVENT is at the forefront of this strategy and most relevant to those working with children and young people within our communities, where identification of vulnerability factors is most likely to take place.

Prevent… • Responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views; • Provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensures they are given appropriate advice and support. CHANNEL is part of Prevent. • The strategy covers all forms of terrorism, including far right extremism and some aspects of non-violent extremism.

CHANNEL is part of Prevent and is a programme which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It’s a multi-agency approach to protect vulnerable people by identifying individuals at risk, assessing the nature and extent of that risk, and developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned;

• Prevent and Channel are not about prosecuting or stigmatising individuals who have been referred. It is about ensuring that vulnerable children (and adults) of any faith, ethnicity or background receive support before their vulnerabilities are exploited. • It’s Confidential • It’s Voluntary

Channel Process: • Identification and initial referral (from us); • Referral received & Screened; • Information from Local Authority gathered • Multi-agency panel – assess risk & support needs; • Intervention (from approved provider); • Post intervention assessment ; NB if Channel not appropriate, referral to usual safeguarding panels may be necessary.

Vulnerability Indicators/Indicators of Risk: The early warning signs may or may not indicate a serious problem; they do not necessarily mean that a child is prone to violence towards themselves or others! • Identity Crisis - Distance from cultural / religious heritage and uncomfortable with their place in the society around them; parent or carer who holds extremist views; recent political or religious conversion; voicing opinion drawn from extremist ideology or narrative; • Personal Crisis – Family tensions; sense of isolation; adolescence; low self-esteem; disassociating from existing friendship group and becoming involved with a new and different group of friends; searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging; change in behaviour or appearance linked to ideological views; recent experience of serious traumatic event; graffiti symbols, writing or artwork promoting extremist messages or images;

• Personal Circumstances – Migration; local community tensions; events affecting country or region of origin; alienation from UK values; having a sense of grievance that is triggered by personal experience of racism or discrimination or aspects of Government policy; association with others who hold extremist views; Possession of literature associated with extremist views, or online material including networking sites; • Criminality – Experiences of imprisonment; poor resettlement /reintegration; previous involvement with criminal groups; use of extremist or hate crime terms to exclude others or incite violence.

Prevent and Schools… How schools can build resilience to extremism: • Secure Safeguarding systems; • Promote community cohesion, equality & well being; • Effective Anti-bullying & e-Safety policies, • Promoting wider skills development; • Citizenship, Charity work & pupil voice; • Link with families & community groups.

• Teach how democracy and Rule of law works in Britain in contrast to other forms of government. • Demonstrate how democracy works in school e. g. voting for school council members, issues, mock elections. • Teach about a range of faiths. • Extra-curricula activity that promotes these values.

If you have concerns. . . • If there is an immediate danger to life, contact the police on 999 Otherwise: • Contact Mr Kinsella or Mrs Brook at school, on 01900 873290 • Any member of the public with a concern in Cumbria can call the Safeguarding Hub on 0333 240 1727

“Safeguarding vulnerable people from radicalisation is no different from safeguarding them from other forms of harm” Home Office, The Prevent Strategy

Additional Training for staff and governors • E-learning Channel General Awareness course available. Module takes about 25 minutes to complete and will enable you to: Ø Explain how Channel links to the government’s counterterrorism strategy (CONTEST) Ø Describe the Channel process and its purpose Ø Identify factors that cam make people vulnerable to radicalisation Online Training Module Prevent & Channel http: //course. ncalt. com/Channel_General_Awareness/01/index. html