Prevent funding cuts: continuing to safeguard with confidence

For some time now, areas in England with the highest risks regarding radicalisation and extremism have received additional funding, often in the form of a Prevent Officer for the area. Working directly with safeguarding leads in schools, this additional support resulted in tailored training and advice when it came to referrals and interventions.

In the last three years there has been less funding and many areas of the country are now losing access to this valuable support. If this is you, there are still people and places you can reach out to.

What support is available?

Your local council has to have a Prevent representative. Reach out to them and open up communications. Ask them to check your Prevent risk assessment is up to date and for any updates that might be useful to share with staff in a briefing. They often have a regular newsletter that you can sign up for to ensure you stay up to date, and will run local events or webinars in conjunction with the local police force to raise awareness of Prevent.

The government provides some excellent Prevent training for free on their website that can be rolled out staff-wide to ensure statutory training requirements are met with no cost to the setting itself. These can be found here: Prevent duty training: Learn how to support people susceptible to radicalisation | Prevent duty tra…

If you think you might be ready to make a referral, there is some helpful guidance here: Making a referral to Prevent - GOV.UK You can call the National Police Prevent advice line if you would prefer to talk to an expert in confidence: 0800 011 3764. The referral form itself can be found on your local police website.

Safeguarding Network has lots of resources you can call on, both for training and with information on making a referral. (Add link and standard text here?)

Making a referral and seeking parental consent

It is advisable to seek consent for the referral from the young person and their family in advance of the referral. You can, however, complete the referral without consent should you believe it will safeguard the young person and others to do so.

Speaking to parents to gain consent can be difficult and many will see a referral as a negative attack on the family. It is important that as practitioners we listen to the family’s fears and concerns and respond appropriately.

It is often useful to remind them that a Prevent referral is not an accusation of criminality and will not affect the young person’s education or career options. Rather, it is an opportunity to provide support for the young person and to safeguard them from harm. Channel has many different forms of support available, from individual mentoring to family support and therapy and this can be tailored to suit each case as appropriate. If parents see the positive interventions that may come of a referral, it may be easier for them to consent.

Regardless of parental responses, stay confident in your decisions. You have thought carefully in advance of this conversation, reflecting on thresholds, training and perhaps have even spoken to experts to ensure it is the right path for this young person. Use a calm but decisive tone to ensure that your message remains strong.

Prevent works best when it is understood as the first stage of early help: proportionate, supportive, and safeguarding‑led. Even in the face of reduced funding, with clear processes, professional curiosity, and open communication, we can ensure that protecting young people and promoting positive outcomes remains at the heart of all we do as safeguarding leads.

About the author: Claire Bellman is a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head Pastoral with over 20 years experience in schools.