What is Prevent?

Prevent is the Government’s strategy to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, in all its forms. Prevent works at the pre criminal stage by using early intervention to encourage individuals and communities to challenge extremist and terrorist ideology and behaviour.

What is Channel?

Channel is an early intervention multi agency panel designed to safeguard vulnerable individuals from being drawn into extremist or terrorist behaviour. Channel works in a similar way to existing multi agency partnerships for vulnerable individuals. It is a voluntary process allowing the individual to withdraw from the programme at any time.

Who is Channel aimed at?

Channel is for individuals of any age who are at risk of exploitation by extremist or terrorist ideologies. Early intervention can prevent individuals being drawn into terrorist related activity in a similar way to criminal activity such as drugs, knife or gang crime.

How does Channel work?

The Channel Panel is chaired by the Local Authority and works with multi agency partners to collectively assess the risk to an individual and decide whether an intervention is necessary. If a Channel intervention is required, the Panel works with local partners to develop an appropriate individualised support package. Partnership involvement ensures that those at risk have access to a wide range of support. The support package is monitored closely and reviewed regularly by the Channel Panel.

Who can make a referral?

Anyone can make a referral. Referrals have come from family members and a wide range of partners: social services, children and adult services, youth offending teams, health, police, education establishments, places of worship and community organisations.

What happens with the referral?

Each referral is screened for suitability via preliminary Assessment undertaken by the Local Authority. Contact will be made with the referring person and if suitable, the case discussed with all relevant partners to decide if an intervention is necessary.

Will the individual be informed about the Channel referral?

If an individual is deemed to require a Channel intervention, then they must be told prior to receiving an intervention. The process will be carefully managed with the referring agency.

Who sits on the Channel Panel?

The Channel Panel is chaired by the Interim Executive Director of Communities and Wellbeing, Strategic Lead Inclusion and includes Police, statutory partners and non-statutory partners, where appropriate. Lead Safeguarding professionals will be invited on a case by case basis.

Who delivers Channel?

Channel interventions are delivered through local partners and specialist agencies. Support could include mainstream health, education, employment or housing services through to specialist mentoring or appropriate faith guidance and wider diversionary activities such as sporting activities.

Escalating concerns?

If you believe that someone is vulnerable to being exploited or radicalised, please follow the established Safeguarding procedures to escalate concerns to the appropriate people in your organisation who can refer concerns to Channel if appropriate.

As stated above, if you have a concern that regards a family member, you can refer them into Prevent. In addition to this, you may want to visit the Act Early UK Website which is aimed at family and friends of those who are worried about family members being radicalised.

Please find the Channel referral form in the documents section

Privacy notice in documents section