Agenda item

To examine the work that is undertaken to deliver the Prevent Strategy locally with a particular focus on how this is done to safeguard Westminster’s children, young people and families.

7.1       The Committee received a report outlining the work that was carried out by Westminster’s Prevent Team and how the Prevent Strategy was delivered locally with a particular focus on how this was carried out to safeguard Westminster’s children, young people and families.  The Committee noted that the team was Home Office funded.

7.2       The Committee welcomed Raffaello Pantucci from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies who discussed with the Committee what his organisation was already doing to tackle radicalisation.  He gave a general understanding of the journey to radicalisation and what issues should be considered to prevent people from falling into it.  The Committee noted that there was no single pathway or narrative that people followed to becoming radicalised and that the role of the internet and social media (smart phones) was always a fascinating and dynamic topic to explore to see what process it played in radicalisation.  This was particularly interesting to look at regarding young people where smart phones allowed them immediate access to a virtual community.  Raffaello explained that the programmes that appeared to work to prevent radicalisation either engaged at a very micro level and/or tended to involve ‘charismatic’ figures. 

7.3       The Committee next welcomed Alex Atheron, Headteacher of Quintin Kynaston (QK) who advised that his experience working with the Prevent Team had been very good.  He discussed with the Committee what QK was doing to prevent radicalisation of its school pupils and that schools needed to develop their own response to the new statutory duty.  He advised that training staff was crucial so that they felt empowered to challenge inappropriate comments and that time and spaces were set aside to have these types of conversations.  He emphasised that this might be new territory for schools and teachers but it did not shift the ownership or responsibility of these safeguarding issues.

7.4       Some of the key issues that emerged from the Committee’s discussion were:

• the community engagement and community projects commissioned to support and empower Westminster’s communities.
• the importance of being responsive to the community by having difficult conversations on topics such as gang crime and sexual exploitation.
• the delivery and importance of staff training within schools.
• the power of the internet, social media and the new virtual community.
• the importance of the Prevent Parenting Programme, community engagement visits and e-safety parenting classes.
• the importance of engaging with youth centres as well as schools.
• how ‘charismatic’ people played a much more significant part in radicalising a person compared to actual religion.
• the understanding of the referral system.
• the importance of balancing the wellbeing of the child along with the school’s need for good examination results.

7.5       The Chairman thanked everyone who had given up their time to attend the            meeting and contribute to the discussion.

7.6       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People for consideration:

1.    The Committee recognised the work of the Prevent Team in tackling radicalisation and both help build community cohesion as well as reducing the threat of violent extremism.

2.    The Committee welcomed the Prevent Team’s commitment to safeguarding in the heart of their approach.

3.    The Committee supported the continuation of the Prevent Parenting Programme, the community engagement visits and the e-safety parenting classes which gave parents a platform to discuss difficult topics and the dangers and use of the internet and social media.

4.    The Committee supported the Prevent Team’s future engagement with youth providers and the integrated gangs unit in preventing the radicalisation of our young people.