Radicalisation and Violent Extremism
Scope of this chapter
This chapter provides information about radicalisation and violent extremism, including information about Prevent, the Prevent Duty and Channel.
This chapter includes information either taken directly or adapted from the following Home Office guidance:
Prevent duty guidance: Guidance for specified authorities in England and Wales
Channel Duty Guidance: Protecting people susceptible to radicalisation
This chapter contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government License v.3.0.
Amendment
In September 2024, this chapter was replaced with a revised and updated version.
Since the publication of the HM Government Prevent Strategy in 2011, there has been an awareness of the specific need to safeguard vulnerable individuals (adults, children and families) from the risk of radicalisation and violent extremism. This is a safeguarding matter and should be approached in the same way as other risks.
Definitions
Radicalisation is the process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism and, in some cases, to then participate in terrorist activity.
Extremism is defined in the Prevent Strategy as “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas".
Radicalisation is a process rather than an event, and there is no single profile or pathway by which an individual can be drawn into violence or exposed to extremist messages. Some people may be influenced by family members or friends and/or direct contact with extremist groups or organisations. Others may view online content, in particular social media, that can normalise radical views or promote violent extremism.
In all cases, professionals should ensure that judgements consider individual circumstances and place the behaviour of an individual in their whole family and social context.
There are many factors which, either alone or combined with other vulnerabilities, can increase an individual’s risk of being radicalised.
These can include, but are not limited to:
- Identity Crisis - Distance from cultural / religious heritage and uncomfortable with their place in the society around them;
- Personal Crisis - Family tensions; sense of isolation; low self-esteem; disassociating from existing friendship group and becoming involved with a new and different group of friends; searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging;
- Personal Circumstances - Migration; local community tensions; events affecting country or region of origin; alienation from UK values; having a sense of grievance that is triggered by personal experience of racism or discrimination or aspects of Government policy; experience of care (previous looked after child);
- Unmet aspirations - Perceptions of injustice; feeling of failure; rejection of community values;
- Criminality - Experiences of imprisonment; previous involvement with criminal groups.
There is a correlation between online risk and real-life vulnerability that means that there could be an increased risk of encountering online harm. Individuals with prior off-line vulnerabilities are at greater risk of harm online than those with none.
Indicators that an individual may be experiencing, or at risk of radicalisation can include, but are not limited to:
- General changes of mood, patterns of behaviour, secrecy;
- Changes of friends and mode of dress;
- Spending an increased amount of time online;
- Use of inappropriate language;
- Possession of violent extremist literature;
- The expression of extremist views;
- Planning to take long term holidays and visits out of the UK;
- Advocating violent actions and means;
- Association with known extremists;
- Seeking to recruit others to an extremist ideology.
Note: There is an obvious difference between espousing radical and extreme views and acting on them. Holding radical or extreme views is not illegal – what is illegal is the act of committing an offence or inciting others to do so in the name of that belief or view.
A common feature of radicalisation is that the individual often does not recognise the exploitative nature of what is happening and does not see themselves as a victim.
If someone is at immediate risk of harm due to radicalisation or violent extremism, or if you believe that a terrorist act is being committed or planned, alert the police using 999.
If this is not the case, a police referral should be made under the Prevent duty (see below).
If the threshold for raising a safeguarding concern has been met, a concern should also be raised to the local authority in line with safeguarding adult procedures.
For further information, see: Stage 1: Reporting a Concern.
Upon receiving the concern, if the police are not already aware, the local authority should make a referral under the Prevent duty (see below). This will ensure that the police can evaluate the need for any police action to reduce the risk from potential terrorist activity.
Once any immediate risk of harm has been removed or adequately reduced, appropriate and proportionate subsequent action should be agreed by relevant agencies. For example, escalation to a Police-led partnership, an enquiry under Section 42 of the Care Act, or a Channel Panel process (see below).
Note: Safeguarding people from radicalisation and extremism requires careful assessment and collaborative working across agencies. Initial information may be inconclusive, and the most appropriate action can be dependent on a wider range of factors.
Online material which promotes extremism, such as illegal or harmful videos and images, can be reported online to the government.
See: Report online material promoting terrorism of extremism.
‘Prevent’ is one of the four pillars of the UK government’s counter terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
- Prevent – to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism;
- Pursue – to strengthen our protection against a terrorism attack;
- Protect – to strengthen our protection against a terrorism attack; and
- Prepare – to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.
‘Prevent’ has three main objectives:
- Tackle the ideological causes of terrorism;
- Intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation;
- Enable individuals who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.
Under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, specified authorities must, in the exercise of their normal functions, have due regard to the need to prevent individuals of any age from being drawn into terrorism. This includes becoming a terrorist or supporting terrorism. This is the Prevent duty.
The aim of the Prevent duty is to stop individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Supporting individuals already involved in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate is also part of the duty. The duty helps to ensure that individuals who are susceptible to radicalisation are supported as they would be under existing safeguarding processes.
The specified authorities to whom the Prevent duty applies are:
- Local authorities;
- Education;
- Healthcare;
- Police;
- Criminal justice agencies (prisons and probation).
There is statutory guidance that sets out the expectations for each specified authority and the ways in which it should comply with the Prevent duty.
See: Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales.
Where an individual is identified as being susceptible to radicalisation, a Prevent referral should be made to the police. These referrals should be made in line with local processes and requirements.
The police will evaluate the referral and, if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the individual is at risk of radicalisation, make a further referral to the local Channel Panel (see below).
If the risk is serious or imminent, the police may decide that a Channel Panel approach would not be appropriate. Neither should a Channel Panel referral be made after radicalisation has occurred.
The government has also developed non-statutory guidance for healthcare professionals.
Under Section 36 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, as part of the UK Government’s prevent strategy, each local authority has a duty to ensure there is a local Channel Panel in place.
The Channel Panel is a multi-agency panel chaired by the local authority that must include the police and other relevant local partner agencies. It can be a single area panel or a combined panel with other local authorities.
The role of the Panel is to intervene as early as possible to ensure that people of any faith, ethnicity or background who are at risk of radicalisation receive support before their vulnerabilities are exploited by those that would want them to embrace terrorism, and before they become involved in criminal terrorist activity.
The following are a few examples of possible support responses:
- Faith guidance;
- Counselling;
- Diversionary activities;
- Access to specific services, such as health or education.
Wherever possible the response should be appropriately and proportionately provided from within the normal range of universal provision available from local agencies and partners.
Each agency is responsible for implementing the actions allocated to them.
The effectiveness of the response should be regularly reviewed and updated as required should the risk level change.
In carrying out their role, the Channel Panel must have regard to the Channel Duty Guidance: Protecting people susceptible to radicalisation.
The Channel process is a voluntary process. If an individual is over the age of 18, it can only take place if they consent (or in their best interests if they lack capacity to consent). Where the individual is under 18, consent must be sought from a parent or legal guardian. In all cases, if consent is not obtained within 3 months of the Channel process starting, the case must close and alternative options to safeguard the adult explored (for example, this could be escalation to a Police-led partnership or a health/social care intervention).
All professionals and staff who engage with the public should:
- Understand what radicalisation means and why individuals may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism as a consequence of it;
- Be aware of what the government means by the term 'extremism' and the relationship between extremism and terrorism;
- Know what measures are available to prevent individuals from becoming drawn into terrorism and how to challenge the extremist ideology that can be associated with it;
- Understand how to obtain support for individuals who may be being exploited by radicalising influences.
There is a range of free, online training available on the government website. This includes an awareness course, Prevent referrals course and a Channel course.
For further information, or to access the training courses see: Prevent duty training.
Note: The Home Office can provide additional training to Channel Panel Chairs, Deputy Chairs and Panel members.
NHS staff should also use the NHS Prevent training and competencies framework.
Last Updated: September 11, 2024
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