England's children's commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has stated that the government's counter-extremism programme, Prevent, is not adequately equipped to support the increasing number of children referred to it who are fixated on violence without a clear ideology.
Referrals of children to Prevent have risen significantly over the past decade, from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. According to Dame Rachel, the majority of these children are returned to schools without further intervention. She emphasized that most of these children do not align with traditional forms of extremism and require stronger safeguarding measures.
The government has indicated that it is reviewing the report and developing additional strategies to address individuals exhibiting extreme violence, irrespective of ideological drivers. This review follows the deaths of three girls in Southport in July 2024. Their attacker, who was 17 at the time, had been referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings. However, his case was closed because he did not possess a clear ideology.
Prevent, established two decades ago, aims to identify and intervene with individuals at risk of radicalization, often by challenging extremist ideologies such as far-right extremism or support for jihadist violence. The ongoing second phase of the Southport Inquiry is examining how to manage individuals who pose a risk of extreme violence where ideology is not the primary factor, and it is also considering the influence of the internet and social media.
A Prevent referral is initiated when concerns arise that a person may be susceptible to radicalization or could become involved with or support terrorism. For children, this process typically begins with concerning behavior observed by educators or social workers. The education sector, including schools, accounts for the largest proportion of child referrals, making up 60% in the year from April 2024 to March 2025.
Dame Rachel's report found that 71% of child referrals lacked a specific extremist ideology. She noted that many cases involve children engaging with harmful online communities, exposed to content depicting self-harm and obsessions with violent acts, some of which may be illegal under the Online Safety Act.
"Counter-terrorism police and Prevent are excellent at deprogramming children who have been caught into ideological movements," Dame Rachel told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme. "What they can't deal with is this, so we have to make sure there is a far wider response."