Prevent is a Government programme which helps to safeguard young people and vulnerable adults from being drawn towards supporting extremism or terrorism. It is part of the Government’s CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy and aims to equip practitioners with the knowledge and confidence to identify concerns and support young people and vulnerable adults, as well as cascade knowledge on the fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect.
The Government acknowledges that the current threat from extremism or terrorism may involve the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults who could become radicalised into supporting terrorist or extremist activity.
Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism or the forms of extremism which can lead to terrorism. There is no single profile that could highlight an individual as vulnerable to radicalisation. An individual may experience a state of mind from circumstances where they can be influenced, led, inspired or exploited into extreme ways of thinking. Whilst there is no exhaustive list of indicators, vulnerabilities or warning signs, the below is a list of potential signs that may cause concern, but is important to note that they do not equal extremism and sometimes do not have a direct link to criminal behaviour:
- Feelings of grievance and injustice
- Vocal expression of views that could incite hatred, racism or ill-thought perceptions
- A need to dominate and control others
- In possession of extremist literature or videos
- Following extremist groups or individuals on social media and sharing their material with others
- Resentment to authority and cascading an “us” vs “them” mentality
- Becoming increasingly secretive about activities, plans and whereabouts
- Social withdrawal or isolation from friends and family
- Making travel plans to areas of conflict.
Concerns should be reported to the College Safeguarding Team by contacting 07580 975854 between the hours of 8.30 and 17.00. Alternatively you can email safeguarding@lincolncollege.ac.uk (this is not monitored outside of office hours).
If you believe that an individual is in imminent danger or that there is an immediate threat to life, then this should be reported to the police emergency number 999. In your professional experience, if you believe that there is a concern, then you should report this to the College Safeguarding Team as soon as possible.
