Prevent
What is Prevent?
Prevent is all about keeping people and communities safe from the threat of terrorism.
It is one of the four strands of the government’s “CONTEST” counter-terrorism strategy; the other strands are Pursue, Protect and Prepare. Full details of the Prevent Strategy can be found on the Home Office website.
What is Channel?
Channel is simply a safeguarding process which aims to prevent children and adults from being drawn into violent extremism or becoming involved in terrorist related activity. It works with the consent of the vulnerable person or if appropriate, their parents.
Referrals to Channel are assessed by a multi-agency panel consisting of the local authority, Police, health and education professionals and other key interested stakeholders.
The Channel process 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 individual concerned.
For more information about Prevent and Channel, check the following links:
- ACT Early
- Educate Against Hate
- National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
What does Tower Hamlets Prevent Team do?
The Prevent Team safeguard and support people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.
See what our Prevent engagement officers do day-to-day:
We deliver projects in the community to:
- raise awareness about issues in the community
- build resilience within local communities and
- provide information about what to do if you are concerned about someone who is vulnerable to radicalisation or you think is being radicalised.
We do this by providing:
- training for frontline staff in recognising, referring and responding to radicalisation
- commissioning projects to build capacity, increase resilience and improve understanding of extremism and radicalisation with partners such as schools, colleges, frontline staff, community groups, venues and parents
- provide a referral service for concerns, which acts as an early intervention service to safeguard vulnerable individuals from radicalisation
Support and funding for local projects and organisations
Prevent funding aims to work with and support communities and vulnerable people to raise awareness about radicalisation and build a resilient and cohesive community that is capable and confident at resisting and responding to terrorist ideology.
Local organisations that help build stronger, safer and more resilient communities and support local people to stand up to extremism in all its forms, are invited to request support in-kind and/or grant funding from the Home office.
Projects delivered by local organisations from the following sectors are welcomed:
- community and voluntary groups
- education
- out-of-school settings that support children
- health
- businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises
- registered charities.
If you have an existing project or ideas of how we can keep people safe to prevent radicalisation in Tower Hamlets and get people talking about radicalisation and Prevent in the community, get in touch with the Prevent Project Officer in the contacts section.
Resources for schools and colleges
In Tower Hamlets we take the view that the Prevent agenda is a continuation of the good work schools already do in promoting tolerance, diversity and individual liberty.
Therefore, the subject matter that can be discussed in schools should not be limited to radicalisation and extremism, and may well include topics that range from prejudice in general to e-safety.
What is essential is that young people can discuss controversial issues in a safe environment and that they are encouraged to be critical thinkers.
For more information on Prevent resources for schools and educational staff, please visit the Support for Learning Service (SLS) Prevent Resources webpage.
Training for local organisations
We have a dedicated Prevent Engagement Officer who is available to attend your workplace and venues to deliver information and training workshops to local groups and professionals.
If you would like to find out more about Prevent in Tower Hamlets, the Channel Process and the work being done to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, please contact the Prevent Engagement Officer (see contact us section).
FACTSHEET: Prevent and Channel 2021
Due to recent media interest in Prevent, the following information has been published to provide factual background on the programme.
Find out more about Prevent and Channel 2021.
Getting involved
We welcome feedback and involvement from the community and residents. We have created a Community Advisory Group involving members of the community and local organisations to shape and steer the local Prevent agenda.
If you are interested in participating please contact the Prevent Engagement Officer.
Contact us
If you have any concerns about a vulnerable child or adult, contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub on 020 7364 3009 or via email to Mash@towerhamlets.gov.uk.