What is Prevent?

Prevent is part of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. CONTEST aims to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. The CONTEST framework is primarily organised around four key principles - Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare.

The 4 principles of CONTEST (including prevent) aim to:

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

What is the Prevent Strategy?

The Prevent strategy aims to reduce the threat to the United Kingdom (UK) from terrorism by stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It is simply expressed as the need to: "Prevent people from being drawn into terrorism."

What does Prevent have to do with healthcare?

Healthcare sector staff need to be aware of and understand the risks posed to service users and staff of being exploited by radicalisers, and those who seek to draw vulnerable individuals into criminal activity.

Those who work in healthcare are well placed to identify individuals who may be groomed into criminal and terrorist activity. Therefore, raising awareness of the health and social care sectors' contribution to the Prevent strategy amongst healthcare professionals is crucial. Staff must be able to recognise signs of radicalisation and be confident in referring individuals who can then receive support in the pre-criminal space.

Prevent focuses on all forms of terrorism and operates in a pre-criminal space, providing support and re-direction to vulnerable individuals at risk of being groomed into terrorist activity before any crimes are committed. Radicalisation is compatible to other forms of exploitation; it is therefore a safeguarding issue that staff in the healthcare sector must be aware of.

Prevent work also extends to supporting the rehabilitation and disengagement of those already involved in terrorism. Prevent works in a similar way to programmes designed to safeguard people from gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse. Success means an enhanced response to tackle the causes of radicalisation, in communities and online; continued effective support to those who are vulnerable to radicalisation; and disengagement from terrorist activities by those already engaged or supporting them.

The Prevent Duty

The Prevent duty mandates designated authorities, including those in education, health, local governance, law enforcement, and criminal justice (prisons and probation), to mitigate the risk of individuals becoming involved in terrorist activities or endorsing terrorism. This obligation complements existing safeguarding responsibilities of professionals, aimed at shielding individuals from various forms of harm such as substance abuse, gang affiliation, and physical or sexual exploitation. By aligning with safeguarding protocols, the duty ensures that individuals vulnerable to radicalisation receive the support and intervention they need.

Authorities and professionals should ensure they also adhere with other legal obligations, including those under data protection legislation and the Equality Act 2010 when carrying out the Prevent duty.

Which healthcare professionals should complete Prevent training?

Any member of staff working in a healthcare setting should complete Preventing Radicalisation training. This included non-clinical managers and staff members.

Blue Stream Academy’s Preventing Radicalisation eLearning module is aligned with the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) for ‘Basic Prevent Awareness’ and covers all outcomes for this level.

How often should Prevent training be updated?

Blue Stream Academy recommends completing the Preventing Radicalisation eLearning course every three years. This course is available on the GP eLearning platform, the Health and Social Care eLearning platform, the Private and Urgent eLearning platform and the Hospice eLearning platform.

What does Blue Stream Academy’s Preventing Radicalisation eLearning cover?

An Introduction to Preventing Radicalisation
The Contribution of the Healthcare Sector
Vulnerability to Radicalisation and Exploitation
Identifying Vulnerable People
Referral and Support

Prevent Training | Health and Care