Updates to the Prevent Duty guidance

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We have recently updated our Prevent course to be in line with the latest Prevent duty guidance for schools and early years providers in England and Wales. While there are no new legal duties or obligations, there has been a slight shift in focus and some changes in the guidance.

There are also no changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework or Independent Schools Standards concerning Prevent activities. All schools and early years providers should continue to integrate their understanding of the Prevent Duty into their overall safeguarding responsibilities, as outlined in the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidelines. The revisions provide clearer guidance, some additional practical advice and links to new resources and best practices.

Here’s a summary of the changes:

1. The first objective of Prevent has been revised to ‘tackle the ideological causes of terrorism’ and a new theme, ‘reducing permissive environments’, has been introduced.
   
2. There have been updates in terminology.
   
3. Training considerations now include determining the appropriate staff members for training, understanding their specific Prevent responsibilities within the setting and linking this to the terrorism risk in the local area.
   
4. Risk assessments should accurately reflect and account for local risks and threats, ensuring they are proportionate to the setting’s size and services provided.
   
5. Information sharing now includes a new section on the implementation of the National Referral Form. Two systems have been established: In priority areas (where the risk of terrorism is higher), a dedicated local Prevent service will handle referrals. In areas where the risk of terrorism is lower, referrals should be made using the national referral form.
   
6. New resources and a self-assessment framework have been launched to assist with training and to help institutions review their obligations and ensure compliance with all requirements.

Prevent Duty Courses

Our online Prevent Duty course has been updated with the latest government guidance.

If you would like to speak to a member of our customer support team, please get in touch today by calling us on 01327 552030, emailing us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, or using the live chat feature on our website.