Prevent in Newcastle
Newcastle is a safe, diverse and largely tolerant city, but we cannot be complacent. Prevent is part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST and is designed to safeguard vulnerable people and communities from the threat of radicalisation and extremism.
Prevent works in a similar way to programmes designed to safeguard people from gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse. In practice, it provides an enhanced response to tackle the causes of radicalisation, in communities and online; continued effective support to those who are vulnerable to radicalisation; and disengagement from terrorist activities by those already engaged in or supporters of terrorism.
Prevent has the following objectives:
- Tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism
- Safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention, identifying them and offering support
- Enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate
What is extremism?
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.
What do we mean by radicalisation?
Radicalisation is a process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups.
What is Channel?
Channel is a multi-agency safeguarding programme run in every local authority in England and Wales. Through the Channel programme, we work with a range of partners including Northumbria Police, education establishments and the NHS.
The programme works to protect vulnerable people (adults, children and young people) from being drawn into terrorism and provides a range of support such as mentoring, counselling and help with employment.
Participation in Channel is voluntary. It's up to an individual, or their parents for children aged 17 and under, to decide whether to take up the support it offers. Participating in Channel does not lead to a criminal record.
Who to contact?
If you're worried about someone being drawn into extremism or terrorism or you are unsure what to do, you can contact the council’s Prevent Coordinator in the Community Safety Team on 0191 277 2072 or email prevent@newcastle.gov.uk
If you wish to make an immediate safeguarding referral then please contact the following:
If the person you are concerned about is an adult
Referrals made to the Local Authority should be made using the Safeguarding Adults Initial Enquiry Form. A telephone call should made initially to either Community Health and Social Care Direct (Telephone: 0191 278 8377) or to the adult at risk's allocated Social Worker if you know that they have one.
If the person you are concerned about is a child
If you are concerned about a child or young person call us on 0191 277 2500 (weekdays 8:45am to 5pm).
You can also discuss any concerns with someone who works with children and families, e.g. your health worker, social worker, school nurse or teacher (all schools have a teacher responsible for child protection).
In an emergency where your own or others' safety is at risk call 999.
You can also report any illegal terrorist information, pictures or videos you’ve found on the internet through the government's website. https://www.gov.uk/report-terrorism
Useful information
The Prevent duty: Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers
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