Prevent Policy

PREVENT POLICY - JULY 2021

Cara Radford: Designated Safeguarding/Prevent Lead.

BACKGROUND

Prevent is one of 4 strands of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. The aim of the strategy is 'to reduce the risk from international terrorism so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.'

CONTEST consists of four ‘P’ work strands:

  • Prevent: to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
  • Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
  • Protect: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack
  • Prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack

The UK currently faces a range of terrorist threats. Terrorist groups who pose a threat to the UK seek to radicalise and recruit people to their cause. Therefore, early intervention is at the heart of Prevent which aims to divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity. Prevent happens before any criminal activity takes place by recognising, supporting and protecting people who might be susceptible to radicalisation.

The national Prevent Duty confers mandatory duties and responsibilities on a range of public organizations and seeks to:

  • Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views
  • Provide practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and violent extremism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
  • Work with a wide range of sectors where there are risks of radicalisation which needs to be addressed, including education, criminal justice, faith, the internet and health.

AIM

The aim of the Prevent policy is to create and maintain a safe, healthy and supportive learning and working environment for our learners, staff and visitors alike. Ensure awareness of Prevent within the Company

  • Provide a clear framework to structure and inform our response to safeguarding concerns, including a supportive referral process for those who may be susceptible to the messages of extremism
  • Embed British Values into the curriculum and ways of working
  • Recognise current practice which contributes to the Prevent agenda
  • Identify areas for improvement

EDLounge Ltd recognises that if we fail to challenge extremist views, we are failing to protect our learners from potential harm. As such the Prevent agenda will be addressed as a safeguarding concern.

OBJECTIVES

Our Prevent Policy has five key objectives:

  • To promote and reinforce shared values, including British Values; to create space for free and open debate, and to listen and support the learner's voice
  • To breakdown segregation among different learner communities including by supporting inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and understanding, and to engage all learners in playing a full and active role in wider engagement in society
  • To ensure learner safety and that the company is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination
  • To provide support for learners who may be at risk of radicalisation, and appropriate sources of advice and guidance
  • To ensure that learners and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing violent and non-violent extremism

SCOPE

The Prevent policy applies to everyone working at or attending the company. It confers responsibilities on all governors, EDLounge Ltd staff, learners, agency staff and volunteers, contractors, visitors, consultants and those working under self-employed arrangements.

DEFINITIONS

The following are commonly agreed definitions within the Prevent agenda:

  • An ideology is a set of beliefs
  • Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism that may lead to terrorism
  • Safeguarding is the process of protecting vulnerable people, whether from crime, other forms of abuse or from being drawn into terrorism-related activity
  • Terrorism is an action that endangers or causes serious violence, damage or disruption and is intended to influence the government or intimidate the public and is made with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological.
  • Vulnerability describes factors and characteristics associated with being susceptible to radicalisation
  • Extremism is vocal or active opposition to fundamental British Values, including democracy, the rule of law, Individual and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

BRITISH VALUES

EDLounge Ltd continuously fosters understanding, respect and tolerance for others in all areas of our training delivery and interactions with learners and with each other. We embrace the rights of all to live, study and work in an environment free from persecution of any kind. We value freedom of speech, democracy, the rule of law and equality of opportunity for all.

We do this through:

  • Ensuring everyone has the opportunity to exercise their democratic influence e.g., learner dialogue, developing working practices, reviews and feedback mechanisms
  • Encouraging learners to accept responsibility for their behaviours in the workplace, the learning environment and the wider community
  • Encouraging self-awareness and thinking through the consequences of actions
  • Encouraging learners to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Encouraging learners to become responsible individuals and to actively participate in their own learning and development
  • Encouraging tolerance and accepting that other people have different faiths or beliefs, which should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
  • Developing an understanding of difference through dialogue and challenge
  • Ensuring everybody has the right to be treated with dignity and respect regarding any aspect of their identity.

As a training provider, we aim to work actively to eradicate extremism and extreme ideology and to support learners and employers in fully embracing British values in all areas of their work.

CHANNEL

Channel is an early intervention multi-agency process designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being drawn into violent extremist or terrorist behaviour. Channel works in a similar way to existing safeguarding partnerships aimed at protecting vulnerable people.

Channel is designed to work with individuals of any age who are at risk of being exploited by extremist or terrorist ideologies. The process is shaped around the circumstances of each person and can provide support for any form of radicalisation or personal vulnerabilities.

Each Channel panel is chaired by a local authority and brings together a range of multi-agency partners to collectively assess the risk and can decide whether a support package is needed. If the group feels the person would be suitable for Channel, it will look to develop a package of support that is bespoke to the person. The partnership approach ensures those with specific knowledge and expertise around the vulnerabilities of those at risk are able to work together to provide the best support.

Referrals are first screened for suitability through a preliminary assessment by the Channel coordinator and the local authority. If suitable, the case is then discussed at a Channel panel of relevant partners to decide if support is necessary.

If we believe that someone is vulnerable to being exploited or radicalised, we will use the established safeguarding procedures to escalate those concerns to the Designated Safeguarding & Prevent Lead who will then raise concerns to the Channel panel if appropriate.

TEACHING, LEARNING & ASSESSMENT

EDLounge aim to provide a curriculum that promotes British Values, knowledge, skills and understanding, to build the resilience of learners by undermining extremist ideology and supporting the learner's voice.

This will be achieved through:

  • Embedding British Values, equality, diversity and inclusion, well-being and community cohesion throughout the qualification and apprenticeship curriculum.
  • Promoting wider skills development such as social and emotional aspects of learning.
  • A curriculum adapted to recognise local needs, challenge extremist narratives and promote universal rights.
  • Teaching, learning and assessment strategies that explore controversial issues in a way that promotes critical analysis and pro-social values.
  • Use of external programmes or groups to support learning while ensuring that the input supports EDLounge Ltd's goals and values.
  • Encouraging active citizenship and learner's voice.

The EDQuals platform contains a dedicated section relating to Prevent and British Values, alongside learning plans and resources for understanding Prevent and Radicalisation.

APPRENTICESHIPS

The Employer’s Role

Employers have a duty to comply with all current and future UK legislation and statutory responsibilities. There is a particular expectation that an employer should take responsibility for an apprentice’s welfare in the workplace and also seek appropriate advice when they feel an apprentice may be at risk in their personal lives.

Employers are expected to:

  • Familiarise themselves with relevant government legislation.
  • Adhere to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to the principles that underpin the Prevent Duty.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to British values.
  • Take appropriate steps to understand what Prevent means in practice at their organisation, in the context of the responsibilities they have for the people they employ.
  • Ensure that any staff working with apprentices in a position of trust is appropriate for the role and do not present any danger or threat.
  • Ensure that any people working with young or vulnerable people have had an appropriate check completed with the Disclosure and Barring service.
  • Ensure apprentices are made aware of the organisation's policies on using the internet and technology in the workplace.
  • Understand the dangers apprentices may face using technology in the workplace and act to minimise risks.
  • If possible, identify a person to coordinate Prevent and safeguarding across an organisation.
  • Seek specialist support if any concerns are raised.

LEARNER SUPPORT

EDLounge Ltd ensures that staff take preventative and responsive steps, working with partner professionals, families and communities.

This will be achieved through:

  • Strong, effective and responsive learner support services.
  • Developing strong community links and being aware of what is happening in the locality, including within our own learning community.
  • Implementing anti-bullying strategies and challenging discriminatory behaviour.
  • Recognising factors that may increase the risk to a learner, i.e., vulnerability, disadvantage or hardship, and implementing early risk management strategies.
  • Ensuring that learners and staff know how to access support at EDLounge Ltd, from their employers and/or via community partners.
  • Supporting ‘at risk’ learners through safeguarding and crime prevention processes.
  • Focusing on narrowing the attainment gap between the different groups of learners.
  • Working collaboratively to promote support for learners across all areas of the company, including apprentices in the off-site provision

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Whilst this is a standalone policy, it is integral to our Safeguarding Policy and should be applied as an extension to the company’s current and established safeguarding procedures.

LEADERSHIP AND VALUES

The CEO Sam Warnes and the leadership team aim to create and maintain an ethos that upholds core values of shared responsibility and wellbeing for all learners, staff and visitors whilst promoting respect, equality and diversity and understanding.

This will be achieved through:

  • Promoting core values of respect, equality and diversity, democratic society, learner voice and participation.
  • Building staff and learner understanding of the issues and confidence to deal with them through mandatory staff training, specialist wellbeing reviews, tutorials, awareness campaigns and community engagement activities.
  • Deepening engagement with local communities and faith groups.
  • Actively working with the local Prevent Groups which includes representation from Police, Local Authorities, Health, Education, Probation, and Fire & Rescue services.
  • Context and expectations of Prevent
  • Their duty to implement the policy
  • Terminology and risks associated with radicalisation and extremism
  • How to identify signs of concern and support vulnerable learners
  • Ways to minimise any identified risks
  • Know the Designated Safeguarding Officer and procedures for communicating concerns
  • Know the importance of their own behaviour and professionalism in being exemplars of British Values
  • Ensuring the End Point Assessment process does not include any inflammatory subjects which might cause offence or challenge.

PREVENT LEAD FOR THE COMPANY

The General Manager Cara Radford is the Prevent Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead, with responsibility for ensuring that our Prevent Strategy is implemented across the company and that any concerns are shared with the relevant organisations, in order to minimise the risk of our learners becoming involved with terrorism.

ALL STAFF

All staff at the company have a responsibility to:

  • create and support an ethos that upholds the company’s mission, vision and values including British values, to create an environment of respect, equality and diversity and inclusion;
  • attend Prevent training in order to have the skills to recognise those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, involved in violent or non-violent extremism, and to know the appropriate action to take if they have concerns
  • report any concerns around extremism or radicalisation via the safeguarding reporting channels
  • report and remove any literature displayed around the centre that could cause offence or promote extremist views
  • support the development of staff and learner understanding of the issues around extremism and radicalisation through activities such as training, awareness campaigns and tutorials
  • participate in engagement with local communities, schools and external organisations as appropriate.

STAFF TRAINING

All staff undertake initial and refresher safeguarding training, including training on the PREVENT initiatives and staff induction includes a comprehensive briefing on Safeguarding and Prevent policy and reporting systems.

Documents and face-to-face training will ensure staff and associate assessors, understand this policy through standardisation activities and evaluation of the process to include an awareness of:

MANAGING RISKS AND RESPONDING TO EVENTS

EDLounge Ltd will ensure that it monitors risks and is ready to deal appropriately with issues that arise through the following:

  • Understanding the nature of the threat from violent extremism and how this may impact directly and indirectly the company.
  • Identifying, understanding and managing potential risks within the company from external influences.
  • Responding appropriately to events reported via local, national or international news that may impact learners and communities.
  • Ensuring plans are in place to minimise the potential for acts of violent or non-violent extremism within the company.
  • Ensuring measures are in place to respond appropriately to a threat or incident within the company.
  • Continuously developing effective ICT security and responsible use policies.
  • Ensuring compliance with related policies.

STAFF SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT IN ABUSE OR HARM

Staff who are suspected of being involved in any form of abuse of a child or adult, either in the centre or workplace, will be dealt with by following the relevant Safeguarding procedure and escalated in proportion to the allegation. This escalation could include Social Services involvement and Police investigation and may be combined with suspension from employment during the investigation.

This policy also applies in situations in which allegations or concerns have arisen as a result of issues occurring in the staff member’s private life, such as in reported domestic violence, or when the staff member has exhibited behaviour that suggests to colleagues or members of the public that they are unsuitable to work with children or adults at risk of harm or abuse.

REFERRAL

Internal Referral Process

Any member of staff or learner may identify concerns about other members of staff or learners who are vulnerable to the risk of being drawn into violent extremism, based on information they have received or behaviour they or other individuals may have observed recently. Most concerns about learners may come from tutors who are the first point of contact during tutorial sessions.

These concerns will be shared in a safe and supportive environment, where appropriate intervention can be offered if required and in a confidential manner.

It is suggested that, unless there is a direct threat (to life or of harm) concerns should, initially, be directed towards appropriate internal safeguarding provisions within EDLounge Ltd:

  1. The tutor or appropriate member of staff will discuss the issue with the learner and individual reporting the concern. These meetings will be recorded in the learner meeting forms.
  2. All internal processes for safeguarding will be applied and reviewed in subsequent meetings.
  3. If the concerns no longer exist after regular follow-ups, there will be no further intervention.
  4. If the concerns remain, the tutor will refer the case to the Designated Prevent Lead Cara Radford for further assessment. The Prevent lead will assess the situation to decide whether it warrants a referral to the external Channel Panel or not.
  5. Learners who do not require a referral to the Channel Panel will continue to be monitored internally as per the internal support systems in place.

External Referral Process

Where existing safeguarding and welfare provisions have been offered, and the concern remains regarding an individual, or where the concern is so great as to warrant immediate external referral, the following procedure will apply:

  1. The concern should be raised initially with an appropriate member of staff within EDLounge who should discuss the issue with the individual reporting the concern. The member of staff receiving the concern will, in turn, inform the Designated Prevent Lead.
  2. The Designated Prevent Lead will discuss the concern with the reporting member of staff, and will then discuss the case with the CEO. The Prevent Read can also contact the local police force on 101 to discuss specific concerns as they can help gain access to further support and advice.
  3. The Designated Prevent Lead will consider all available options and will decide as to whether the individual is referred to the Channel Process facilitated by the Local Authority or is referred for further safeguarding/welfare support.
  4. The Prevent Lead will make the referral to the Channel process and will represent EDLounge at multi-agency meetings / Channel Panel meetings in relation to the referral. Channel is a programme that focuses on the use of a multistage approach to providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.
  5. The different stages within the Channel Process delivered via the local authority include:
    • identifying individuals at risk
    • assessing the nature and extent of that risk, and
    • developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned.

An individual’s engagement with the programme is entirely voluntary throughout.

OUT OF HOURS REFERRAL

A concern that needs to be raised outside of normal office hours should be raised in the first instance with the Designated Prevent Lead. If there is an immediate concern of danger to life or harm the correct referral process is to call 999 and then inform the Designated Prevent Lead at the earliest opportunity.

GUEST SPEAKERS

EDLounge Ltd believes that guest speakers can enrich our education programmes and other areas of our business by adding depth and breadth to a range of subjects.

  • This can especially help to prepare our learners and all young people we engage with for life in modern Britain and to further extend their employability and vocational skills.
  • In relation to this, it is EDLounge Ltd’s policy that guest speakers should:
    • follow the same signing in procedures as other visitors
    • not be left alone with learners, children, young people or vulnerable adults unless they have a current DBS which we have had sight of and logged
    • have their views countered and balanced by our employees, self-employed contractors or volunteers should they have any extreme views, whether political or religious.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Confidentiality and trust should be maintained as far as possible, but staff must act on the basis that the safety of the learner is the overriding concern. The degree of confidentiality will be governed by the need to protect the student. The learner must be informed at the earliest possible stage of the disclosure that the information will be passed on. Discussions of the case must only be with the appropriate staff and any discussion must be private and shared on a need-to-know basis. Fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children or vulnerable adults.

EDLounge Ltd Is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals, including learners, staff and others, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) May 2018 and complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 that allows for disclosure of personal data where this is necessary to protect the vital interests of the learners.

WHISTLEBLOWING

We recognise that young people cannot be expected to raise concerns in an environment where staff fail to do so. All staff and learners should be aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, about the management and the protection of vulnerable adults, which may include the attitude or actions of colleagues, and are encouraged to do so.

RELATED LEGISLATION

·         The Young people Act 2004

·         Working Together to Safeguard Young people 2018

·         Keeping Young people Safe in Education (KCSIE) September 2020

·         Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

·         Care Act 2014

·         Safeguarding Young people: Working Together Under the Young people Act 2004 a Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 (2018)

·         Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015

·         Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales (2015)

·         Channel Duty Guidance: Protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism 2015

·         Multi-agency guidance on FGM (2016)

·         Modern Slavery Act (2015)

·         Information sharing advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services (2018);

·         Child sexual exploitation: definition and a guide for practitioners, local leaders and decision-makers working to protect young people from child sexual exploitation (2017)

·         Sexting in schools and colleges: responding to incidents and safeguarding young people (UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), 2016)

·         Sexual violence and sexual harassment between young people in schools and colleges (2018)

·         General Data Protection Act (2018)

RELATED POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND TEMPLATES

  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy
  • Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy
  • E-Safety Policy
  • Mission, Vision and Values
  • External Speakers Policy
  • Freedom of Expression/Speech
  • Whistleblowing Policy
  • Freedom of Information Policy
  • Data Protection / GDPR Policy
  • Acceptable Use IT Policy

REVIEW

EDLounge Ltd’s Prevent Policy is reviewed annually. The review process includes analysis of monitoring data, consultation with and feedback from learners, staff and other stakeholders.

Our Appendix can be viewed upon request. Please contact mail@edlounge.com 

APPENDIX 1
VULNERABILITIES & INDICATORS OF RADICALISATION

APPENDIX 2
FACTORS OF VULNERABILITIES

APPENDIX 3
REFERRAL AND CHANNEL PROCESS

APPENDIX 4

RISK ASSESSMENT AND ACTION PLAN