Prevent is a key strategy in the UK’s counter terrorism frameworks which CONTEST introduced following the
7/7 London terrorist attacks in 2005. Prevent aims to reduce the threat of terrorism by preventing people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It claims to be comprehensive in its aims to
deradicalise and rehabilitate vulnerable people. Prevent is built on three core objectives: • To tackle ideological causes of terrorism; • To intervene early to support people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism; and • To rehabilitate those who have engaged in terrorism activity. Prevent emphasises early intervention to stop vulnerable or easily susceptible individuals in society from being drawn into extremist ideologies. However, there is no single model for someone’s radicalisation journey, so bespoke interventions are vital to effectively reintegrate them back into wider societal ideas. Vulnerability to radicalisation arises from several factors like age, disability, risk of abuse or neglect. As radicalisation has no single pathway, the government aims to address risks early, through a multitude of avenues. Prevent monitors trends in radicalisation; violent and non-violent extremism, with particular attention on the rise of
Islamic extremism and
right-wing ideologies posing the biggest threat of terrorism in recent years. Prevent adopts a multi-agency approach, using local authorities, schools, healthcare providers, police, and other sectors to recognise and support individuals at risk. Anyone, including members of the public, can refer individuals they believe to be at risk of radicalisation to Prevent. The
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, introduced the
Prevent Duty, requiring sectors including schools, local authorities, prisons, and healthcare services to embed Prevent in their
safeguarding responsibilities. The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 created a positive duty for those working in education or health to report those who they deem at risk of radicalization. all
National Health Service (NHS) staff are required to undergo basic Prevent Awareness Training. Schools provide the educational dimension of the Prevent duty through the
Citizenship lessons on the
National Curriculum. Since July 2015, schools also have a legal responsibility to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism" under the Prevent duty and Child Protection and Safeguarding guidelines. ==References==