Prevent and the Promotion of Fundamental British Values Policy

INTRODUCTION

This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Child Protection and Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy

BPIF Training is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all learners. BPIF Training recognises its legal duty to work with other agencies to prevent vulnerable people from significant harm, and to respond to all safeguarding issues. The radicalisation of vulnerable learners falls into this category, and this strategy is an addendum to the child protection and safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults’ policy.

BPIF Training recognises the positive contribution that it can make to protecting learners from all types of radicalisations or violent extremism. BPIF Training will continue to empower learners to create resilient communities that protect the wellbeing of learners who may be drawn into extremism or crime.

Radicalisation is the process where individuals come to support terrorism or violent extremism. BPIF Training recognises that there is no typical profile of a person likely to become involved in extremism, or a move to support violence in support of a particular ideology.

A number of possible behavioural indicators are listed below. Staff should use their professional judgement and speak to the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) if they have concerns.

• Use of inappropriate language
• Possession of violent extremist literature
• Behavioural changes
• The expression of extremist views
• Advocating violent actions and means
• Association with known extremists
• Seeking to recruit others to an extremist ideology
• Inappropriate emails
• Distributing extremist literature.

Legal Framework

There are a number of legal policies relating to this area of work.

• Human Rights Act 1998 Articles 8, 9 and 10 (these are not guaranteed rights)
• Terrorism Act 2000 (obligation to disclose information which might be of material assistance in preventing an act of terrorism to the police)
• Terrorism Act 2006 (Colleges need to ensure that no proscribed organisation has access or use of the college premises to cause an offense)
• Freedom of Speech section 43.1 of the Education Act 1986 (freedom of speech within the law is secured)
• Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015
• Equality Act 2010

In addition, the National College for Teaching and Leadership teaching standards require that teachers do not undermine fundamental British values by expressing personal beliefs in ways which exploit a learner’s vulnerability or lead them to break the law.

GUIDANCE ON PREVENT AND THE CHANNEL PROGRAMME

What is Prevent?

Prevent is the Government’s strategy to stop people becoming involved in violent extremism or supporting terrorism, in all its forms. Prevent works within the non-criminal space, using early engagement to encourage individuals and communities to challenge violent extremist ideologies and behaviours.

What is Channel?

Channel is an early intervention multi-agency process designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being drawn into violent extremist or terrorist behaviour. Channel works in a similar way to existing safeguarding partnerships aimed at protecting vulnerable people.

Who does Channel work with?

Channel is designed to work with individuals of any age who are at risk of being exploited by extremist or terrorist ideologues. The process is shaped around the circumstances of each person and can provide support for any form of radicalisation or personal vulnerabilities.

How does Channel work?

Each Channel Panel is chaired by a local authority and brings together a range of multi-agency partners to collectively assess the risk and can decide whether a support package is needed. The group may include statutory and non-statutory partners, as well as lead safeguarding professionals.

If the group feels the person would be suitable for Channel, it will look to develop a package of support that is bespoke to the person. The partnership approach ensures those with specific knowledge and expertise around the vulnerabilities of those at risk can work together to provide the best support.

What does Channel support look like?

Channel interventions are delivered through local partners and specialist agencies. The support may focus on a person’s vulnerabilities around health, education, employment or housing, as well as specialist mentoring or faith guidance and broader diversionary activities such as sport.  Each support package is tailored to the person and their circumstances.

How will the person be involved in this process?

A person will always be informed first if it’s felt that they would benefit from Channel support.

The process is voluntary, and their consent would be needed before taking part in the process. This process is managed carefully by the Channel Panel.

Who can make a referral?

Anyone can make a referral. Referrals come from a wide range of partners including education, health, and youth offending teams, police and social services.

What happens with the referral?

Referrals are first screened for suitability through a preliminary assessment by the Channel Coordinator and the local authority. If suitable, the case is then discussed at a Channel panel of relevant partners to decide if support is necessary.

Raising a concern

If you believe that someone is vulnerable to being exploited or radicalised, follow the BPIF TRAINING Child Protection and Safeguarding Children, Young people and Vulnerable Adults Policy to escalate your concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Officer

 PREVENT RISK ASSESSMENT AND ACTION PLAN

In order to ensure that BPIF Training continue to remain knowledgeable and compliant with legislation regarding the duty under Prevent, a Prevent Risk Assessment and Action Plan is in place and regularly updated.

The responsibility of this plan sits with the designated safeguarding officer and the Managing Director who also acts as the deputy designated safeguarding officer

 EXTERNAL SPEAKERS

BPIF Training welcomes events that learner groups hold at BPIF Training venues and venues elsewhere. It is our responsibility to make sure that everyone attending our events feels safe. The external speaker policy makes sure that we are protecting learners and the reputation of BPIF Training whilst following the legislation that we’re responsible for upholding the law.

All staff and learners have the right to study without fear of intimidation, harassment and threatening or extremist behaviour. The key ingredient for the preservation of academic freedom is tolerance and a respect for diversity. Intolerance involves behaviour motivated by prejudice or hatred that intentionally demeans individuals and groups defined by their ethnicity, race, religion and/or belief, sexuality, gender, disability, age, or lawful working practices and which give rise to an environment in which people will experience, or could reasonably fear harassment, intimidation or violence. The BPIF has a duty of care to all our learners and staff.

Freedom of Expression

Freedom of expression and speech are basic human rights that are protected by law. ‘Academic Freedom’ is a term used to describe the law that allows for open and honest debate in an academic context. BPIF Training has a legal duty to secure the development of learners’ ideas and understanding in the form of academic freedom. Academic freedom only applies to BPIF Training’s staff and does not apply to learners and visiting speakers.

Learner safety and welfare is at the heart of our policies and practices. The freedom to express views needs to be balanced with the need to secure freedom from harm for learners and communities. We want all our activities and those hosted by our learner groups to be:

• Safe
• Without risk to the reputation of BPIF Training
• Within the law

Sometimes an external speaker or their topic has the potential to go against our conditions for a safe event. We are committed in working together with event organisers and in some cases the external speakers themselves to make sure that we reach a judgement that is reasonable, informed and within the law.

External Speakers

• An external speaker is used to describe any individual or organisation who is not a learner, staff member of BPIF Training or a member.
• Speakers at any event organised by a learner group outside of a BPIF Training building
• Events where external speakers are streamed live into an event, or a pre-recorded film is shown.

A staff member who approves or organises an event is responsible for the activities that take place within the events. All guests/speakers will be made aware of their responsibility to abide by the law and BPIF Training’s policies, including that they:

• Must not incite hatred, violence or call for the breaking of the law.
• Are not permitted to encourage, glorify or promote any acts of terrorism including individuals, groups or organisations that support such acts.
• Must not spread hatred and intolerance in the community and thus aid in disrupting social and community harmony
• Must seek to avoid insulting other faiths or groups, within a framework of positive debate and challenge.
• Are not permitted to raise of gather funds for any external organisation or cause without express permission of the trustee.

Validation of Speaker

The Managing Director or their nominee will conduct a short investigation into the external/guest speaker and the event that, wherever possible, takes representations from the learner group related to the booking and from a wide number of concerned groups and external bodies.

In making recommendations they will assess risk based on the potential for:

• Any decision to limit freedom of speech
• The event going ahead to cause the BPIF to be in breach of its equal opportunities (or other) policy
• The event going ahead to cause BPIF Training to fall within its wider legal duties
• The speaker’s presence to cause fear or alarm to learners or members of staff
• The speaker’s presence to give rise to breach of peace and/or overcrowding issues leading to health and safety fears
• Any other factor which is felt to be appropriate to consider

They may make one of the following recommendations:

• To not permit the event with the external/guest speaker to attend
• To fully permit the event with the guest/external speaker to go ahead unrestricted
• To permit the event with the external/guest speaker to go ahead based on regulatory steps designed to reduce risk

Regulatory steps may include requiring that:

• The event be filmed by an independence body
• The event be observed by BPIF staff or third-party officials
• The event be stewarded or subject to security
• An event promoting a view includes an opportunity to debate or challenge that view
• A copy of any speech/presentation to be delivered by the speaker is submitted to the Managing Director in advance or the speech or presentation.

When considering any regulatory steps designed to reduce risk, the potential of those steps to cause risk (for example, the sense of oppression felt by having security) should be considered.

The recommendation will be put to the Managing Director who will make a decision that is communicated to the chair or the board of governors, who may overrule this decision should they disagree. Where the learner group in question disagrees with the decision made, they shall have the right to appeal as per the BPIF Training’s complaints procedure.

DEVELOPING LEARNER RESILIENCE AND PROMOTION OF FUNDAMENTAL BRITISH VALUES

 At BPIF Training, the promotion and reinforcement of British values are important to us. We see British values as underpinning what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse United Kingdom. As well as striving to actively promote these values to our learners, we are also embedding these into teaching and learning across our curriculum and teaching and learning activities

The Department for Education have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all providers of education to promote fundamental British values.” The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated with a statutory Prevent Duty placed on Providers of education from 1st July 2015

British values are defined within the duty as including:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs

With these values in mind, we aim to:

• Help learners to become valuable and rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background
• Promote the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different beliefs and faiths to learners
• Celebrate difference and promote diversity across all our activities
• Encourage an understanding of the difficulty’s other cultures face where such values are not respected

 We are acting to:

• Embed different materials about democracy and how the law works into curriculum materials
• Ensure that all our learners have a voice that is listened to and valued and demonstrate how democracy works
• Use opportunities such as general elections and debates to promote British values and help learners to argue and defend different points of view
• Actively gather learner views and feedback on key policies that effect the learner body
• Encourage learners to become responsible learners and to actively participate in their own learning and development
• Provide staff development training
• To promote British values and ensure that out statutory duty under Prevent is embedded in all our delivery

BPIF Training have an inclusive approach to the regular promotion of a range of subject areas which fall under safeguarding, Prevent, FBV, also including health and wellbeing and health and wellbeing, and to further build learners resilience in these subject areas, and have monthly updates across these subjects.

This inclusive approach includes all BPIF Training staff, learners and employers and other stakeholders invited to research a topic and provide a short piece, whether this be a case study or a piece of research on the topic. The topics are then consolidated by BPIF Training’s designated safeguarding officer and circulated to all.

It is expected that training coordinators, in formal progress reviews and visits with learners ask them about any opinion they hold on any of the topics of the month to and to hold discussions on these topics.

Topics are reviewed annually.

STAFF TRAINING AND SUPPORT

All staff are provided with training, both in their induction period and routinely throughout their employment.

All new staff recruited into the business are taken through a comprehensive induction period including training on Prevent and FBV. All staff members are also given the staff handbook which includes detail relating the Prevent and FBV within the BPIF Training.

BPIF Training will provide training in Prevent and FBV to managers and others likely to be involved in recruitment or other decision making where Prevent/FBV issues are likely to arise.

All training board meetings, as well as training management meetings and standardisation meetings have a standing agenda item for Prevent which provides an opportunity to not only share good practice but identify additional training needs which will then from part of BPIF Training’s Quality Improvement Plan and also individual staff development plans

Online Staff Prevent Training Module

The Education and Training Foundation have developed a suite of free online training modules designed for FE and training providers to raise awareness of their responsibilities in complying with the Prevent duty. This is in recognition that all staff, governors and board members are required to be Prevent duty trained in the new Prevent duty Guidance for FE. The modules provide awareness training in context of Prevent duty responsibilities in FE and training.

Home Office and Police Online Training

The Home Office has produced a Prevent e-Learning product to provide an introduction to Prevent aimed at objective two of the Prevent strategy – supporting vulnerable people. It has been developed to raise awareness of and explain Prevent within the wider safeguarding context

The Police College has also developed a training module which raises awareness of the Channel support programme.

Annual Staff Training

Annually, BPIF Training’s Designated safeguarding lead provides training updates to all staff in relation to Prevent and Fundamental British Values. This is a mandatory session for all staff.

Safeguarding, Prevent and FBV is also a standing agenda item at all standardisation meetings.

Prevent Regional Coordinators

BPIF Training have relationships with the Prevent Leads nationally who support with updates and ensuring that BPIF Training are aware of all current legislation relating to Prevent

COMMUNICATION, AWARENESS AND PROMOTION

BPIF Training will use several different ways to communicate and promote our policy so that all our staff, learners, employers, contractors, and others

• understand our commitment to prevent
• understand their roles and responsibilities
• know where to seek advice and guidance

During the apprenticeship programme we will ensure that equality and diversity is communicated at key stages throughout the learning journey

• Sign up and induction processes for new learners, and new employers: during the initial induction we will discuss safeguarding and prevent and the learners’ rights and responsibilities and reporting mechanisms
• Teaching, learning and assessment visits: At each learner visit (including remote visits) we will discuss safeguarding to raise awareness of any current issues and to test the learners’ knowledge
• Formal Progress Reviews: We will discuss safeguarding at each formal progress review, testing the learners’ understanding and giving the opportunity to ask questions relating to safeguarding
• Learner and Employer Newsletters, Briefing and Topics of the Month: Each month learners and employers are issued with Topics of the Month including a key theme around safeguarding and prevent to stimulate understanding and discussion
• Surveys: Routinely during the learning programme surveys will be conducted with learners and employers to help the BPIF identify any issues and allow us to continuously improve

RESPONSIBILITIES

Every employee is required to assist the BPIF to meet its commitment to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults.

BPIF Training will:

• Ensure recruitment and selection and training of appropriate staff
• Ensure staff are risk assesses until an appropriate DBS certificate is held.
• Engage learners and employers in planning the learning programme to ensure that individual needs are being met.
• Ensure that participants are aware that they have a formal duty to play their part in this policy.
• Ensure that all reports of prevent concerns are dealt with properly, appropriately and with dignity and respect.
• Implement this policy

Learners are required to:

• Engage in conversations which raise their awareness of prevent definitions and current issues
• Report any concerns regarding prevent to the Designated Safeguarding Officer or the Police

Employers are required to:

• Engage in conversations which raise their awareness of prevent definitions and current issues
• Report any concerns regarding prevent to the Designated Safeguarding Officer or the Police

 REVIEW

The Child Protection and Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy was updated on 5^th September2021. The policy is to be reviewed bi-annually, as a minimum with the next review date being no later than 5^th March 2022.