Previous
Next

Part 2B: Topics covering both child and adult issues

Radicalisation (covers child and adult)

Radicalisation is a process by which an individual or group adopts increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that reject or undermine the status quo or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice. Radicalisation is comparable to other forms of exploitation. It is a safeguarding issue that staff working in the health sector must be aware of.

Healthcare staff will meet and treat people who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, and all staff have a responsibility to safeguard vulnerable individuals of all ages that they come into contact with. Preventing radicalisation sits alongside long-established duties on professionals to safeguard vulnerable children, young people and adults from exploitation from a range of other harms such as drugs, gangs and physical and sexual exploitation.

If any member of staff in general practice has any concerns about a patient or colleague being radicalised they should follow their local safeguarding pathways.

Vulnerability factors to radicalisation:

They can apply to any age, social class, religion, ethnic or educational background.

  • Struggling with a sense of identity.
  • Distanced from their cultural or religious background.
  • Difficulty fitting in with British culture.
  • Questioning their place in society.
  • Family issues.
  • Experiencing a traumatic event.
  • Experiencing racism or discrimination.
  • Difficulty in interacting socially, lacking empathy, or not understanding the consequences of their actions.
  • Low self-esteem.

More important than any one specific sign is the sense that something is not quite right with the person you’re worried about. 

Potential signs of radicalisation:
  • Being influenced or controlled by a group.
  • An obsessive or angry desire for change or ‘something to be done’.
  • Spending an increasing amount of time online and sharing extreme views on social media.
  • Personal crisis.
  • Mental health issues.
  • Need for identity, meaning and belonging.
  • Looking to blame others.
  • Desire for status, need to dominate.
Some key indicators of radicalisation to watch out for in children:
  • They are becoming increasingly isolated from family and friends.
  • They are talking as if from a script.
  • They are unwilling to engage about their views.
  • They are becoming intolerant of other people’s views.
  • They are becoming increasingly angry about issues of events they feel are unfair or unjust.
  • They are secretive about who they are meeting online or in person.
Prevent

Prevent is part of the government counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST and aims to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The key pillars of CONTEST are:

  • Prevent: to stop people 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 objectives of Prevent are to:

  • tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism
  • identify, safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early identification, intervention and support
  • enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.
The Prevent duty

The Prevent duty requires specified authorities such as education, health, local authorities, police and criminal justice agencies (prisons and probation) to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It sits alongside long-established safeguarding duties on professionals to protect people from a range of other harms, such as substance abuse, involvement in gangs, and physical and sexual exploitation. The duty helps to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are supported as they would be under safeguarding processes.

There is Prevent duty guidance for specified authorities in England and Wales and separate guidance for Scotland. There is no specific Prevent guidance for Northern Ireland. The health specified authorities in England and Wales are:

  • an NHS trust in England and Wales
  • an NHS foundation trust
  • a local health board in Wales
  • the Board of Community Health Councils in Wales.

The health specified authorities in Scotland are:

  • A health board
  • A special health board
  • Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Whilst GP practices do not fall under the Prevent duty, they still have to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities and duties regarding radicalisation. 

The Home Office provides an online Prevent awareness course which gives a helpful insight into Prevent.

Channel panel

If the Prevent referral progresses and it is assessed that there is a genuine risk of radicalisation, the case is considered by a multi-agency ‘Channel panel’ of professionals who collectively assess the case and decide on a tailored package of support that can be offered to the person.

The Channel panel is chaired by the local authority and can include a variety of partners such as the police, children’s services, social services, education professionals and mental health care professionals.

If a Channel intervention is required, a tailored support package will be offered. This could include mentoring, theological guidance, education, and careers assistance to those assessed as being at risk of radicalisation and requiring support.

Channel is voluntary and people who are referred to Prevent must give consent before they can be given support.

If a person does not engage with Channel or decides not to continue with the process for any reason, alternative forms of support may be available from the local authority or other providers. Any risks are then carefully managed by the police.

References



Previous
Next