The Prevent Duty Policy
The aim of this policy is to enable the staff at Orchard Saturday Club to be able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation and know what to do when they are identified. Our duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation should be no different from our duty to protect children from other forms of harm ie neglect, abuse, drugs and sexual exploitation. Harm may come from within the family or be the product of outside influences. At Orchard Saturday Club we will provide information that is relevant and appropriate to the age and stage of development and understanding of our children and young people.
Orchard Saturday Club will build our children and young people’s resilience by:
- developing their personal, social and emotional development and understanding of the world.
- promoting fundamental British values
- providing a safe place for young people to question and debate controversial issues.
- developing knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments.
The fundamental British Values are
- Democracy
- Rule of Law
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual Respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
The statutory guidance on the Prevent duty summarises the requirements on Childcare settings into four general themes
- Risk assessment
- Working in partnership
- Staff training and
- IT policies
Risk Assessment
We will assess the risk of our children being drawn into terrorism, including support for extremist ideas that are part of terrorist ideology.
We will demonstrate a general understanding of the risks affecting children and young people in our area.
- Risk will vary from area to area but we will identify risk within our local context.
- We will be aware of the increased risk of online radicalisation.
- Local authority and police will be a source of information re the local context.
We will demonstrate a specific understanding of how to identify individual children who may be at risk of radicalisation and what to do to support them.
- Staff should be alert to changes in behaviour which could indicate need of protection
- Children at risk may display different signs or seek to hide their views
- Even very young children may be vulnerable to radicalisation
Our role is not to carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life but take action if we observe behaviour of concern.
What to do if concerned
As with all safeguarding concerns there are clear procedures for safeguarding children set out in our main safeguarding policy.
We are aware when it is appropriate to make a referral to the Channel Programme and how to do this. This is a voluntary programme focused on providing support at an early stage for people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.
There is an online general awareness training module in Channel which enables front line workers to identify factors that can make people vulnerable to radicalisation and highlights types of intervention that might be appropriate.
Working in Partnership
The Devon Safeguarding Children’s Board (DSCB) is responsible for co-ordinating what is done by local agencies for the safeguarding of all children in their area. The Prevent duty builds on existing local partnership arrangements. The Local Authority is vital to all aspects of Prevent work and will have dedicated staff to provide advice and support.
Staff Training
Orchard Saturday Club will as a minimum ensure that the designated leads undertake Prevent awareness training so that they can offer advice and support to other staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation.
IT policies
Orchard Saturday Club has updated E safety policies. Children are not permitted to bring mobile or gaming devices to the club and there is no internet provided. Staff members are to adhere to the guidance in our E safety and other relevant policies.
Building Children’s Resilience
The nature of the disabilities that our children and young people have can make them vulnerable to coercion in a range of matters. At Orchard Saturday Club we develop their ability to recognise and manage risk, make safer choices and recognise when pressure from others threatens their personal safety and well-being. They are also helped to develop ways to resist pressure and know where, when and how to get help. We encourage our children and young people to develop positive character traits such as resilience, determination, self-esteem and confidence.
Reviewed and updated by by Clare Goodyear and Luana Winston July 2017
Review date: July 2018