(TER0008)

Written evidence submitted by Michael Stewart, Director of Prevent, Home Office (PRE0001)

1. I am writing to you following my appearance with the Security Minister at the Home

Affairs Select Committee on 22 March 2023 to answer questions about our response

to the Independent Review of Prevent.

2. During the session, Tim Loughton MP asked for the statistics on the number of

children that had been taken into care due to the extremist views of their parents,

and how many of those parents were subsequently referred to Prevent.

3. Protecting children and young people from radicalising influences remains a pressing

and important issue. The latest Home Office figures relating to the police’s use of

powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 show that in the year ending 31 December

2022, there were 166 arrests for terrorist-related activity. The largest increase was in

the ‘17 and under’ age group which increased from 20 to 32, while arrests for those

aged 18 to 20 increased by 11.

4. Prevent seeks to intervene early, to provide people with the appropriate support

before they go too far down a road towards violence and criminal activity. But it is

important to note that Prevent is not a criminal sanction. It is not about punishment,

making people ‘suspects’, or placing them under surveillance. Prevent is also not

designed to impede a person’s prospects – it is designed to improve them. Since

2015, over 3,000 people have been supported through the Channel programme,

where they are offered bespoke support, which can include, but is not limited to,

ideological mentoring, help to access higher or further education or getting back into

school, housing provision and mental health care.

5. The Children Act 1989 sets out the overarching responsibility of local authorities for

safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their area. One of its key

principles is that children are best looked after within their families, with their parents

playing a full part in their lives, wherever possible. The Act focuses on the child and

their needs, rather than the parents, though of course parents do impact on children

through their caregiving, including beliefs which could lead to a child suffering harm.

Where a referral to a local authority is made due to concerns about a child, local

multi-agency safeguarding arrangements should be followed and any assessment of

need undertaken as set out in statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard

Children (2018). The assessment of need and any subsequent strategy meetings

between local agencies will determine the nature and level of risk a child may be

facing. This will enable the local authority to decide whether they should take any

action to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare – including a separate referral to

Prevent for the parents or the child.

6. Unfortunately, the statistics that have been requested on the number of children that

had been taken into care due to the extremist views of their parents are not readily

available. This information may be recorded within the care order but is not

information which is collated for statistical purposes. However, it is worth making it

clear that parents holding extremist views, or a referral to Prevent, in and of itself,

would not be a trigger for the removal of a child from their family. The family justice

system is based firmly on the principle that children should not be taken into care

without a court independently assessing all of the evidence first. The ultimate

decision to remove a child from their family rests with the courts. The welfare of the

child is the paramount consideration in any decision. The judiciary is independent

and outside of government or local authority influence. The courts may only make a

care order if they are satisfied that the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant

harm and the care order is deemed better for the child than not taking any action; or

the child is beyond parental control. In the absence of any statistical data I have

tested with the key members of my team whether we have any anecdotal evidence

of the scenario considered above. We do not. I believe that if this scenario occurred

it is very likely that this would have come to my attention through anecdotal

reporting. If members of the Committee have specific cases they would like to draw

to my attention I would be very grateful.

7. Likewise, whether a Prevent referral has been instigated following a care order is

also not readily available. The information may be recorded within a Prevent referral

but is not collated for statistical purposes. However, section 26 of the CounterTerrorism and Security

Act 2015 (the Act) places a duty on certain bodies (“specified authorities” listed in Schedule 6 to the

Act), in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being

drawn into terrorism”. Therefore, if in the process of a child hearing, a parent or child is

considered at risk of radicalisation, then the specified authorities involved in the

case, such as Local Authorities, would have a duty to consider making a referral to

Prevent. Prevent referrals can also be made by members of the public.

8. I appreciate that does not provide the committee with the exact information that was

requested, but I would like to assure you that I am confident that with proper

adherence to the Prevent duty, the appropriate safety nets exist for local authorities

and children’s services to make appropriate decisions in instance where parents, or

children, are identified as at risk of radicalisation.

9. In addition to the above, I would like to provide clarity around a statement the

Security Minister made regarding ‘incel-related attacks’. Although it is correct that

there have been no ‘incel related’ attacks in the UK that have been designated as

terrorist attacks, there have been instances where violent acts have been

perpetrated by individuals who have been associated with incel culture. The Security

Minister would like to correct the record to this effect.

Thank you once again for your invitation to the Home Affairs Select Committee, and

to you and your colleagues for all your important work in this area.

June 2023