Obligations Under Prevent Duty

Obligations under Prevent Duty

ISC issued an alert (in March) to draw schools’ attention to statutory guidance published by the Home Office under the Counter Terrorism Act 2015. Schools are listed as specified authorities in the Act and are required to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. The guidance sets out what specified authorities need to do in order to comply with the new Prevent duty which is due to come into force on 1st July.

Schools should ensure that they read the guidance and consider how best to adapt and incorporate the requirements into existing policies, practices and procedures. There are some general duties for those in leadership positions and, in brief, schools will be expected to:

·  Carry out risk assessments to assess the risk of children being drawn into terrorism.

·  Have and implement sufficiently robust safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that children at risk are identified, the appropriate interventions are made, and there are clear protocols which take into account the policies and procedures of the local safeguarding children board.

·  Co-operate and work with local authorities, LSCBs, local Prevent co-ordinators and the police.

·  Maintain records to show compliance for the purpose of inspection – which is how the duty will be monitored for the school sector.

·  Train staff so that they have the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk and to challenge extremist ideas, and so they know where and how to refer children and young people.

·  Have IT policies and appropriate levels of filtering in place to ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet in school.

ISC will be circulating useful training and information links with this month’s report together with a link to another statutory guidance document, the Channel guidance on protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism. Schedule 7 of the Act lists independent schools as partners of local panels AND under section 38 of the Act, partners are required to have regard this statutory guidance document.

Sunena is also working with the DfE officials in charge of implementation in the school sector to try to ensure that sufficient free training is provided to independent schools.

Sunena Stoneham

22.6.15