Preventing Radicalisation, Awareness of Prevent

What it covers

The Level 3 competencies of the NHS Prevent framework for staff who assess and plan: the duty and the non-criminal space, the current threat level, the main ideologies, susceptibility, influence and polarisation. Deciding on a referral, completing the national referral form, what the police gateway decides, and how a Channel panel works, including consent and the clinician's part at the table. Lawful sharing and answering requests, risk to others, the GP record and online access, care after a referral, and the practice Prevent lead.

Who it is for

GPs, GP registrars, practice nurses, advanced practitioners, clinical pharmacists, paramedics and the practice safeguarding or Prevent lead: anyone who could help assess, plan, act on or review a safeguarding concern about an adult or child.

By the end you will be able to

• Explain the Prevent duty, health's part, the non-criminal space and the current threat level.
• Describe the main ideologies and how narrative, polarisation and influence draw people in.
• Judge susceptibility with professional judgement, never dismissing a concern because of a diagnosis.
• Check a concern, refer on the national form, and know what the police gateway decides.
• Take part in a Channel panel, seek consent, and support the patient after referral.
• Share information lawfully, act on risk to others, and run the practice Prevent arrangements.

Modules

1. Prevent, the threat and ideology
2. Susceptibility, influence and narrative
3. Making and supporting a referral
4. Channel panels and consent
5. Sharing, risk and the practice lead

Awareness of Prevent is Level 3 of the NHS Prevent training and competencies framework, the minimum for staff who could help assess, plan, act on or review a safeguarding concern. It builds on Basic Prevent Awareness, which covers Levels 1 and 2. A GP practice holds no statutory Prevent duty of its own and is not a named Channel partner, so this course teaches the safeguarding route practices use. Your practice policy sets the local names and contacts.

Content mapped to the learning outcomes of the Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1: Preventing Radicalisation, Prevent Awareness, and to the Level 3 core competencies of the NHS Prevent training and competencies framework (updated 10 July 2025). Law named: Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, sections 26 and 36 to 41, Schedules 6 and 7.

Sources

• NHS Prevent training and competencies framework (Department of Health and Social Care, updated 10 July 2025): Level 3 core competencies and who should complete Level 3
• Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1 subject guide, Preventing Radicalisation: target audience, Prevent Awareness learning outcomes (a) to (k), three-yearly refresher and yearly update (Skills for Health, web archive copy of 12 January 2024)
• Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023), in force 31 December 2023, accessible version updated 6 March 2024: paragraphs 12 to 55 (CONTEST, threat and ideologies, susceptibility, referral, gateway assessment, Channel, police-led partnerships), 79 (inform police immediately), 211 to 245 (healthcare, annual updates, three-yearly refresher, two-yearly for Prevent leads, filtering)
• Channel duty guidance: protecting people susceptible to radicalisation (Home Office, last updated 14 October 2025): paragraphs 57 to 109 (panel members, gateway, adoption, three-month consent limit, case closure, 6 and 12 month reviews, five working days, information sharing, disclosure, Prevent Assessment Framework), 125 to 171 (investigations, meetings, support plans, risk, consent, capacity, parental refusal, support types, vulnerability support hubs), 189 to 195 (safeguarding), Annex A, Annex B (engagement, intent and capability)
• Policy addendum: page 40, section 126, Channel duty guidance (Home Office, 14 October 2025): Channel alongside an overt Pursue investigation
• Notice, check, share (Home Office, published 28 August 2026): factors to notice, checking with the safeguarding lead, the local authority Prevent lead cannot decide whether to refer, the person who noticed completes the national referral form
• Get help for radicalisation concerns (Home Office, last updated 28 August 2026): national referral form updated 29 May 2025, editable version from local police or local authority, police screening, referrals are not made to the Home Office, downloading terrorist material could be an offence
• Key principles of Prevent (Home Office, published 23 February 2026): ideology neither necessary nor sufficient, mental health services have no remit to manage radicalisation risk, roles and responsibilities, Prevent Assessment Framework in national use since January 2025
• Prevent duty training (Home Office, GOV.UK courses on awareness, referrals and Channel)
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 26: general duty on specified authorities
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 36: assessment and support, local panels (referral threshold, panel functions, support plan contents, referral to health or social care)
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 37: membership and proceedings of panels (police for the area present, others the council invites, majority and chair's decision)
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 38: co-operation by partners of a panel, so far as appropriate and reasonably practicable, subject to data protection law
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 39: power to amend Chapter 2 and Schedule 7
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 40: indemnification of support providers
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, section 41: interpretation, including the necessary consent (own consent at 18 and over, parent or guardian under 18)
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, Schedule 6: specified authorities (health: NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and Welsh health bodies; no GP practice)
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, Schedule 7: partners of local panels (health: integrated care boards, NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and Welsh health bodies; no GP practice)
• Terrorism Act 2000, section 1: terrorism, interpretation
• Terrorism Act 2000, section 38B: information about acts of terrorism, disclosure to a constable as soon as reasonably practicable, reasonable excuse defence
• Terrorism and national emergencies: terrorism threat levels (GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026: national level severe; Northern Ireland-related level in Northern Ireland substantial; set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service)
• Prevent duty: guidance for healthcare professionals (Department of Health and Social Care, updated 3 October 2024): Prevent lead often the safeguarding lead or a named GP, online signs of radicalisation
• Prevent duty: core standards for healthcare commissioners and providers (Department of Health and Social Care, 3 October 2024): Prevent leads, information sharing protocol, notice boards, leaflets and room hire, training levels
• Prevent and the Channel process in the NHS: information sharing and governance (27 September 2022): consent the gold standard, case-by-case decisions, recording in the patient record, secure email and official sensitive marking, five working days, responding to data requests, every practitioner shares what they hold
• Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, October 2024 to September 2025 (Home Office, published 6 August 2026): referrals, type of concern, age, health referrals, mental health and neurodivergence, signposting
• Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information, disclosures for the protection of patients and others, paragraphs 63 to 70 (General Medical Council, web archive copy of March 2026)
• Online access to new GP health record information (NHS England, last updated 14 March 2025, web archive copy of 8 July 2026): hiding entries temporarily or permanently where access could cause serious harm or distress
• Prevent duty: core standards for healthcare commissioners and providers (Department of Health and Social Care, 3 October 2024): intended users include organisations providing services for the NHS or NHS patients; integrated care board annual work programme with measures to engage GPs; provider annual board report; 85% minimum training rate; lessons learned case study around all referrals
• Channel duty guidance: protecting people susceptible to radicalisation (Home Office, last updated 14 October 2025): practice example 1 and case study 1 (mass casualty interest with suicidal thoughts), paragraph 32 (reviews and Prevent learning reviews), 125 and 126 (police investigations), 151 (capacity), 195 (social worker at the panel)
• Policy addendum: page 40, section 126, Channel duty guidance (Home Office, 14 October 2025): Channel alongside an overt Pursue investigation, post-arrest or executive action, panel and senior investigating officer agreement, fresh consent
• Key principles of Prevent (Home Office, published 23 February 2026), principle 2: the only programme offering multi-agency radicalisation risk management, still providing case management where other services give comprehensive support
• Prevent and the Channel process in the NHS: information sharing and governance (27 September 2022), best interest decisions: referral without consent for a person lacking capacity, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 principles
• Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023), paragraphs 219, 220 and 244 (NHS England Chief Nursing Officer, regional safeguarding leads, Care Quality Commission oversight)

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