Policy Statement

System People takes the responsibility of safeguarding students very seriously. System People is committed to the safeguarding of learners and staff, and committed to supporting the recovery of individuals who may be targeted by the circumstances outlined in this policy.

This policy has been devised to be complimentary to and work alongside the main safeguarding policy and whilst a standalone policy it is integral to other policies including Equality and Diversity and Health and Safety policies.

This policy is implemented in line with the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and statutory Prevent duty guidance issued by the Home Office, which was most recently updated and came into force on 31 December 2023.

The Law

Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the government’s counter‐terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, and promotes safeguarding of vulnerable people.

The objectives of Prevent are to:

Tackle the ideological causes of terrorism – Prevent focuses on reducing the influence of radicalisers on susceptible audiences, as well as reducing the availability of, and access to, terrorist content. Work to counter radicalisation and reduce permissive environments extends across academia, civil society, communities, government and industry. Prevent takes a partnership approach to disrupting radicalisers, including those who sow division and hatred, by working with local, regional and national partners, law enforcement agencies, and other government partners.

Intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation – Prevent intervenes early by identifying people who are susceptible to radicalisation and providing support to those suitable for intervention. Where the police assess a radicalisation risk following a Prevent referral, a Channel panel will meet to discuss the referral, assess the risk and decide whether the person should be accepted into Channel. Once accepted, the panel agree a tailored package of support to be offered to the person. The panel is chaired by the local authority and attended by multi-agency partners such as police, education professionals, health services, housing and social services. Channel is a voluntary process, and people must give their consent before they receive support. In cases where the person is under 18 years of age, consent is provided by a parent, guardian or the agency that has responsibility for their care. Where risks cannot be managed in Channel, they will be kept under review by the police.

Enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate – Rehabilitation seeks to reduce the risk of people who have been involved in terrorist-related activity, including those who have been convicted of offences. The Desistance and Disengagement Programme provides specialist Home Office-approved intervention providers to give support in the form of theological, ideological and practical mentoring to reduce the offending risk.

System People holds a responsibility to ensure all staff and learners have knowledge in recognising risk of radicalisation and extremism and addressing it appropriately. Strategies to meet this obligation include; Staff Induction, CPD sessions for staff, and enrichment sessions and an open discussion forum across the Company for learners.

Terminology

Any references made to ‘Radicalisation’ and ‘Extremism’ in the Company are defined as per the below, in keeping with the Government Strategy document:

Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism or be involved in extremist causes that may lead to terrorism.
Extremism is 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.

We recognise the need to balance safeguarding with lawful freedom of expression and academic freedom.

Risk factors
Vulnerability – failure to integrate into society, disrupted childhood
Influence – psychological affiliations with the cause, susceptibility to influence, family or friends around them
Receptiveness – disillusionment with current state of affairs, to ideological narrative, previous beliefs and understanding, lack of knowledge and awareness.
Challenging behaviour – Also, to have a lack of barriers and obstacles from radicalisation being acceptable and normal, and to stop them getting involved.
eSafety – ensuring learners are educated fully about online safety and understanding of grooming online, and what to do if they have concerns.

Susceptibility factors
Psychological Crisis -­‐ an individual is threatening harm to; him or herself, others, campus property, or is out of touch with reality due to a severe drug reaction or a psychotic breakdown.
Identity Crisis -­‐ a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society.
Moral Outrage -­‐ a response to the behaviour of others, never one’s own.
Group Bonding -­‐ a student becoming closely affiliated with others who may use techniques such as grooming and peer pressure in order to entice vulnerable individuals.
Mobilising Network – once the group has bonded, mobilising the network of those influenced to encourage them to complete tasks, which may be dangerous or against the law.

Behavioural matters
The Channel assessment framework contains three areas of concerns which may assist staff in recognising some of the behaviours that may highlight vulnerabilities requiring referral. These include but are not limited to:

Engagement with a group, cause or ideology
Feelings of grievance and injustice
Feeling under threat
A need for identity, meaning and belonging
A desire for status
A desire for excitement and adventure
A need to dominate and control
Susceptibility to indoctrination
A desire for political or moral change Opportunistic involvement
Family or friend’s involvement in extremism
Being at a transitional time of life
Being influenced or controlled by a group Relevant mental health issues
Intent to cause harm
Over identification with a group or ideology ‘Them and Us’ thinking
Dehumanisation of the enemy
Attitudes that justify offending
Harmful means to an end
Harmful objectives
Capability to cause harm
Individual knowledge, skills and competencies
Access to networks, funding or equipment
Criminal Capability

Referral process

All staff are responsible for Prevent duty and observations should be passed on in a timely manner.

Identification of Concern – staff who notice behaviour of concern should make a factual, comprehensive written record as soon as able

Internal Referral – the staff member should then contact the Safeguarding Lead, and pass the comprehensive notes to them. If the concern relates to immediate risk of harm contact emergency services.

Analysis & Consultation – The Safeguarding lead will make any initial assessments and consult with local Prevent/Channel partners and the police where appropriate.

External Referral – if the threshold for Channel is met, the Prevent Lead will make a referral in line with local Channel procedures; if not, the organisation will put in-house safeguarding measures in place and record rationale.
Record keeping & information sharing — all decisions and referrals will be recoformation Training

All staff receive training proportionate to their role: basic Prevent awareness on induction and role-specific training as required (refreshed every 2 years). Training will cover recognition of vulnerability, referral routes, Channel, information sharing and record-keeping. Training attendance and competence will be recorded. Learners are provided with accessible Prevent information and opportunities to discuss British values in an educational context.

Equality and Diversity

System People actively promotes equality and diversity, more information on this can be found in the Equality and Diversity policy.

Promoting British Values

An element of the PREVENT strategy also includes positive promotion of British Values, namely; democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance and respect for others. System Training is committed to promoting these values.

Focussed Impact of Policy

This policy is designed so that all staff and students within System People community will have an increase in awareness and development of resilience in preventing radicalisation and extremism.

Risk assessment and action plan

System People undertake a proportionate Prevent risk assessment at least annually (and whenever there is a material change to programmes or context). The organisation will maintain an action plan recording measures taken (training, curriculum activity, IT controls, community engagement) and evaluation of outcomes.

This policy is approved and endorsed by the Executive Team and will be reviewed on an annual basis.

On behalf of the Board of Directors
Date: 6th October 2025