Prostart Training

PREVENT Strategy

Introduction and Context

Prevent is part of a Government initiative to develop a robust counter terrorism programme – CONTEST. The UK faces a range of terrorist threats. All the terrorist groups who pose a threat to us seek to radicalise and recruit people to their cause. The Prevent strategy 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 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, charities, the internet and health

A system of threat level has been created which represents the likelihood of an attack in the near future. The five levels are:

Critical- an attack is expected imminently

Severe – an attack is highly likely

Substantial – an attack is a strong possibility

Moderate – an attack is possible but not likely

Low – an attack is unlikely

The current threat level from international terrorism in the UK is ‘substantial’ which means that a terrorist attack is a strong possibility.

Further Education colleges including Independent Training Providers are major education and training providers for the 16 – 25 year age group, particularly young people from ethnically diverse and socially and economically disadvantaged areas. The age and profile of our learners make it crucial to be involved in the Prevent strategy. Prostart have a part to play in fostering shared values and promoting cohesion.

This strategy has five key objectives:

To promote and reinforce shared values; to create space for free and open debate; and to listen and support the learner voice.
To break down 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 Prostart is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination
To provide support for learners who may be at risk and appropriate sources of advice and guidance
To ensure that learners and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing violent extremism.

In order to achieve these objectives the strategy will concentrate on four areas;

Leadership and Values

To provide an ethos which upholds core values of shared responsibility and wellbeing for all learners, staff and visitors and promotes 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
Deepening engagement with local communities
Actively working with local schools, local authorities, police and other agencies

Teaching and Learning

To provide a curriculum which promotes knowledge, skills and understanding to build the resilience of learners, by undermining extremist ideology and supporting the learner voice. This will be achieved through:

Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and community cohesion
Promoting wider skill development such as social and emotional aspects of learning
A curriculum adapted to recognise local needs, challenge extremist narratives and promote universal rights.
Encouraging active citizenship/participation and learner voice.
Embedding British Values into the curriculum and ensuring that learners understand the terms extremism and radicalisation.

Student Support

To ensure that staff are confident to take preventative and responsive steps working with partner professionals, families and communities. This will be achieved through:

· Maintaining strong and effective learner support

· Listening to what is happening in the community

· Reinforcing anti-bullying strategies and challenging discriminatory behaviour

· Helping Apprentices & learners and staff know how to access support at Prostart and or through community partners

· Supporting at risk Apprentices & learners through safeguarding and crime prevention processes

· Focussing on narrowing the attainment gap for all Apprentices & learners

Managing Risks and Responding to Events

To ensure that Prostart monitors risks and is ready to deal appropriately with issues which arise. It will do this through:

· Understanding the nature of the threat from violent extremism and how this may impact directly or indirectly at Prostart

· Understanding and managing potential risks within Prostart from external influences

· Responding appropriately to events in local, national or international news that may impact on Apprentices & learners and communities

· Ensuring measures are in place to minimise the potential for acts of violent extremist within Prostart (Impero software for monitoring ICT installed).

· Ensuring plans are in place to respond appropriately to a threat or incident at Prostart

· Adhering to the ICT security and responsible user policies already in place.

· Adhering to the General Data Protection Regulation when sharing information.

There is a risk assessment in place for PREVENT which is reviewed quarterly and a section on PREVENT is also included in the Business Continuity & Risk Register.