Children referred to Prevent sent back to schools 'without support', says Commissioner

Children referred to the government’s Prevent counter-extremism programme because of concerns about violence are frequently being sent back to schools without receiving additional support, according to a new report from the Children’s Commissioner for England.

The report found that at least 65 per cent of Prevent referrals involving children made by schools and colleges in 2024-25 were returned to education settings when the cases were closed. In 93 per cent of those cases, the children had not been discussed at a Channel panel or progressed through the Prevent programme.

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, is calling for a new safeguarding approach for children considered at risk of violence, exploitation or radicalisation, arguing that Prevent is not always the appropriate pathway for children whose difficulties are rooted in wider vulnerabilities.

“The Prevent programme plays an important role in protecting communities and preventing people being drawn into terrorism. It is right that when professionals have concerns about a child’s behaviour, the content they are accessing online or the risks they pose to themselves or others, they act swiftly and decisively,” she said.

The analysis found that Prevent referrals involving children increased from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. In the latter year, children accounted for more than half of all Prevent referrals in England and Wales.

However, seven in ten child referrals had no specific extremist ideology identified. The Commissioner said many of these children were instead experiencing wider vulnerabilities, including exposure to harmful online content, violence fixation, exploitation, bullying and unmet needs.

Some children were reported to be talking frequently about weapons, idolising notorious attackers or sharing violent material, including videos depicting beheadings or suicides. Others were sharing extreme pornography, encouraging peers to join dangerous online communities or encouraging self-harm.

Professionals interviewed for the report expressed particular concern about children being exposed to harmful and violent material online without necessarily developing a fixed ideological belief.

Dame Rachel said the high proportion of referrals without a clear ideology demonstrated the need for a broader safeguarding response.

“I have long been concerned about the numbers of children being referred to Prevent, but we have to look beyond the increase in referrals to understand the varied reasons children have been referred in the first place. Some may have been exposed to harmful content online, others be vulnerable to exploitation, experience difficulties with their mental health or display concerning behaviours for a range of reasons,” she said.

The Commissioner’s analysis found that 79 per cent of the 4,715 child referrals made between April 2024 and March 2025 were closed without progressing through Prevent.

Referrals without a clear ideology were also less likely to progress to a Channel discussion than referrals where a defined ideology had been identified: 86 per cent of the former did not progress, compared with 60 per cent of the latter.

The report also highlights cases where children were referred to Prevent more than once. Between April 2016 and March 2025, 91 per cent of children were referred once, while nine per cent – 1,136 children – were referred at least twice. Fewer than 190 children, around 1.5 per cent, were referred three times or more.

One school safeguarding officer interviewed for the report described the experience of making repeated referrals.

“We referred him again then and it came back as ‘doesn’t meet threshold and it will not be provided on this programme.’ We were not given an explanation, just that sort of thing.”

The report also raises concerns about the extent to which children’s wider needs are captured when they are referred. Information about mental health and neurodevelopmental needs was missing from 60 per cent of referrals. Where conditions were recorded, autism accounted for 16 per cent of conditions identified, compared with an estimated prevalence of around three per cent among school-aged children.

Dame Rachel said a referral should not mark the end of the safeguarding process when a child does not meet the threshold for Prevent.

“A referral should be the start of understanding a child’s individual circumstances, not the end of the process. When a child does not progress through Prevent, we must be confident other services are there to understand and meet their needs. Simply returning children to services that made the referral, without a clear understanding of what is driving their behaviour or who will be responsible for meeting their needs, risks missing opportunities to provide the right support children desperately need.”

The Commissioner is recommending that children currently referred to Prevent should instead be assessed through local safeguarding teams, with Counter Terrorism Policing involved where necessary. She wants all children presenting a concern because they may commit violence or other harm – whether through violence fixation, potential involvement in terrorism or concerns about criminality – to be referred to a local Multi Agency Child Protection team.

The report also calls for better data collection, including a consistent unique childhood identifier, stronger tracking of children’s journeys through Prevent and joint statutory guidance from the Home Office and Department for Education.

It further recommends stronger protections for children online and improved support for those with complex needs, including neurodevelopmental conditions, trauma and other vulnerabilities.

“We need a stronger safeguarding response particularly for children who are fixated with violence but have no identified extremist ideology. Professionals working with children need the expertise and support to identify children’s needs and behaviours, intervene early and provide appropriate interventions,” Dame Rachel said.

The report comes as Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry prepares to examine the adequacy of arrangements in England and Wales for managing the risk from violence-fixated individuals. The first phase examined the failure to identify the risk posed by Axel Rudakubana, who carried out the Southport attack.

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services said Prevent and Channel could work, but warned that the nature of risks facing children and young people was changing.

“Our thoughts remain with the families and communities whose lives were changed forever by the events in Southport. ADCS is conscious that the issues outlined in today’s report are currently the focus of Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry and ADCS will want to respond to any recommendations that the Inquiry makes at its conclusion,” said Helen Lincoln, Policy Network Chair for Families, Communities, and Young People at ADCS.

She said increasing numbers of risks were developing online and that some children were becoming fixated on violence without having a clear ideology or affiliation.

“Prevent and Channel can and do work, but the risks facing children and young people are changing, and our systems to safeguard them and our communities must keep pace. Increasingly, relationships, identities and risks develop online, with some children becoming fixated on violence without a clear ideology or affiliation. Identifying those at risk and providing the right support is complex. Online harmful content can be a contributing factor to escalating risk, however, restrictions and bans alone will not address the vulnerabilities or circumstances that put children at risk.”

ADCS said there was currently no national framework or evidence-based intervention for children with a fixation on violence, leaving agencies without a clear route when cases do not progress through Prevent.

“There is currently no national framework or evidence based interventions to direct our work with children who have a fixation on violence. When concerns do not progress through Prevent, agencies need a clear understanding of what is driving a child’s behaviour, who should respond and what support is available.”

Helen Lincoln said the organisation would await the findings of the Southport Inquiry before responding to any recommendations.

“ADCS awaits the Inquiry’s second phase and hopes it will offer further insight into how agencies can better understand and respond to these evolving risks.”