Prevent not helping children fixated with violence, children's commissioner says

The Children's Commissioner has criticized the government's Prevent programme for its inability to effectively address the increasing number of children fixated on violence without a clear ideology. Referrals to Prevent have risen from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. Most of these children are sent back to schools without further action.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner, stated that most children being referred do not identify with traditional forms of extremism, and stronger safeguarding measures are needed for this group. The government acknowledged the need for review and development of further options to manage this issue. This comes after a recent incident where three girls were killed during a dance class in Southport by a 17-year-old attacker who had been referred to Prevent three times due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings, but his case was closed because he did not have a clear ideology.

Prevent was established 20 years ago to identify potential terrorists and intervene in their lives, often by challenging extremist ideologies. The Southport Inquiry is examining how to handle individuals who pose a risk of extreme violence without a clear ideology, as well as the role of the internet and social media in influencing them.

Most child referrals are made by the education sector, accounting for 60% of referrals in the year from April 2024 to March 2025. The report found that 71% of child referrals had no specific extremist ideology identified, often linked to children being involved in harmful online communities or obsessed with killers and school shootings.

The Children's Commissioner called for a broader response, recommending that referrals to Prevent should pass through local multi-agency safeguarding teams, including counter-terror police when necessary.