Today I am going to talk about why reaching out for support is so important when you have a loved one who may have been radicalised into the Extreme Right Wing (ERW) world.
Your loved one may not belong to any particular Extreme Right Wing Organisation but that does not mean that there is not a cause for concern.
Nor should you believe that just because they post a few things online that does not mean that their involvement is less concerning.
If your loved one holds any kind of Extreme Right Wing (ERW) views or narratives then specialist support is needed, and the sooner that support is provided then the better the chances of a successful outcome will be and also it will reduce the damage that can be done both mentally and physically to both the individual involved and the families and friends of that person.
Today there are many different types of support that are available and included in this article, I will provide various links and outline what support is available.
The concept of support can be quite intimidating, especially when it comes to extremism.
Fear, shame and embarrassment often silences most families and loved ones, but what they fail to realise is that by allowing themselves to be silenced, they are playing right into the hands of the extremists.
Looking to highlight more, today I just want to touch upon those three things that many loved ones feel.
Fear - Many families feel it. They may be afraid for their loved one and where their actions might lead. Fear for their loved one’s safety and the safety of others. Fear for others who might be at risk of becoming radicalised. Fear for their loved one’s future knowing full well that their beliefs will impact that in a negative way. Fear of what others think about their loved one and themselves and other family members and finally fear that speaking out will get their loved one into trouble.
Those fears are very real and can be very confusing. It is hard to think logically when you are in that situation as all of your instincts are to protect your loved one at all costs.
However, what most families and loved ones don't realise is that fear and that desire to protect often results in them trying to resolve the situation alone.
This in turn puts their loved one and themselves in harm's way and can and often result in further unnecessary and often irreversible damage.
The shame that parents and loved ones feel also often silences them. They believe that if they do not talk about it then nobody will ever know. Also, many families and loved ones fear judgement and blame. Sadly believing that they can keep it a secret is not the case. People often see something is not quite right or may have overheard or witnessed certain things. If they see you denying, or not actively challenging your situation then they may very well believe that you are compliant but they may also believe that you are enabling their behaviour. However if you have an open dialogue with them and they can see that you are doing everything in your power to help your loved one then they will view you, your loved one and your situation in a very different way..
The worry that you may get them into trouble by reaching out for support is also unfounded, think about it realistically.
Support is there to help them to get out of that situation that IS causing them harm.
By doing nothing you are in fact putting them and yourself and your family at further risk of negative outcomes such as.
Criminal Record/Prison.
Physical Harm.
Emotional Damage.
Harm to those being targeted.
Others may be radicalised.
Emotional and possibly physical damage to family and friends.
Long-term damage to their future and prospects.
If they are aware of the support you are receiving they may resent you for a short period of time but I can promise you they will thank you in time.
Plus there is a high possibility that by this point your relationship with them is in tatters anyway. I can promise you doing nothing will not improve it either. Things will just continue to decline.
So this is why support is so important.
If you do feel uncomfortable reaching out then ask someone to do it on your behalf, then you can look your loved one in the eye and say I did not make that call. It really does not matter how you get the support, all that matters is that you are getting it.
Now I will go through some of the options out there that can help to get your loved one the help they need with regards to their extremist views and opinions.
PREVENT EXPLAINED
What is the Prevent programme?
The core mission of Prevent is stopping people from embracing extremism, supporting terrorism or even becoming terrorists. The early intervention support provided by Prevent addresses the personal, ideological, and social factors which make people more susceptible to radicalisation.
The programme:
works in partnership with front-line professionals such as teachers, healthcare practitioners, social workers, the police, charities and civil society, psychologists, community leaders and others;
is delivered by local authority teams, local policing teams, community organisations and charities that have the best expertise in their area;
does not target any one community and deals with all forms of terrorism, including Islamist, extreme right-wing and a range of emerging threats
is not limited to any age group;
will not show up on any criminal record checks;
is not a tool for spying or surveillance, and the Prevent duty does not place any restrictions on free speech. It is part of the wider safeguarding obligations we have towards protecting people from harm;
provides training for educators, healthcare staff and other frontline staff to help them understand and implement the Prevent duty and protect susceptible people in their care. The Prevent duty must be implemented in line with the requirements set out in the Equality Duty.
A network of partners delivers Prevent in local communities
Statutory partners: Under the 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, ‘specified authorities’ including schools, colleges, universities, health, local authorities, police, and prisons must consider the risk of radicalisation as part of their day-to-day work. The Prevent duty requires specified authorities to help prevent the risk of people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. As the threat of radicalisation evolves, we have updated our training for frontline professionals to help equip them with the skills and knowledge to spot the signs of radicalisation and make a referral where appropriate. Prevent duty guidance was published in September 2023 and more information is available on the factsheet.
Local authorities: Oversee delivery of the programme locally, collaborating with partners to understand and respond to local risks. Areas where the risk of radicalisation is highest have dedicated Prevent Coordinators, whereas others are supported by Home Office Regional Advisors.
Civil society organisations: Prevent provides funding for a wide range of organisations across the country. Projects include a variety of initiatives, such as critical thinking workshops, the use of sport as intervention and online safety training for parents. This empowers and builds resilience in communities enabling them to challenge extremism and terrorism wherever it tries to take root.
What is a Prevent referral?
A Prevent referral can be made by anyone who is concerned that they, or someone they know, is susceptible to radicalisation or might be at risk of becoming involved in terrorism or supporting terrorism. This could be a family member, friend, colleague, or a professional.
If an individual is found to represent a security threat, they will always be referred to the police for further investigation.
Prevent referrals are not made to the Home Office; they are handled by expert officers in the local police force.
When a referral is made, initial checks will be conducted and if the individual is found to not be at risk of radicalisation, the case is immediately closed to Prevent.
Making a referral
If someone is worried about another individual becoming radicalised and would like to seek advice before making a referral, they can contact their local authority safeguarding team, or speak to a teacher, healthcare provider or another trusted authority.
Contacting the authorities will not get the person into trouble if a criminal act has not been committed. The local authority or police can discuss concerns, suggest how they can best help and provide access to relevant support and advice.
Alternatively, people can visit Counter Terrorism Policing’s website, ACT Early or call the national police Prevent advice line on 0800 011 3764 to discuss their concerns.
Teachers and parents can also learn more on the Educate Against Hate website.
CHANNEL EXPLAINED
What is Channel?
If the referral progresses and it is assessed that there is a genuine risk of radicalisation, the case is considered by a multi-agency ‘Channel panel’ of professionals who collectively assess the case and decide on a tailored package of support that can be offered to the person.
The Channel panel is chaired by the local authority and can include a variety of partners such as the police, children’s services, social services, education professionals and mental health care professionals.
What kind of support is offered via Channel?
If a Channel intervention is required, a tailored support package will be offered. This could include mentoring, theological guidance, education, and careers assistance to those assessed as being at risk of radicalisation and requiring support. This is known as Channel in England and Wales, and Prevent Multi-Agency Panels (PMAP) in Scotland.
Channel is voluntary and people who are referred to Prevent must give consent (via a parent or guardian if they are underage) before they can be given support.
If a person does not engage with Channel or decides not to continue with the process for any reason, alternative forms of support may be available from the local authority or other providers. Any risks are then carefully managed by the police.
Key Prevent statistics and facts
Since the introduction of the Prevent duty in 2015, over 4400 referrals have been supported through the Channel Programme. Channel aims to move individuals away from extremist ideology that could have resulted in harm to themselves or others.
6,817 referrals to Prevent were made in the year ending on 31 March 2023. This is an increase of 6.4% compared to the year ending March 2022 (6,406).
Of those in custody for terrorism connected offences in Great Britain as at 30 June 2023, 65% were categorised as holding Islamist-extremist views, 27% were categorised as holding Extreme Right-Wing ideologies, and the remaining 8% were categorised as holding beliefs related to other ideologies. These figures include both those that had been convicted and those being held on remand (that is, held in custody until a later date when a trial or sentencing hearing will take place).
Of all the Prevent referrals in 2021/2022:
37% were related to individuals with a vulnerability present but no ideology or CT risk
19% to Extreme Right-Wing
11% regarding Islamist radicalisation
2% to concerns regarding school massacres,
1% of concerns were incel-related.
The threat from Islamist terrorism remains the foremost and most significant, accounting for 67% of attacks since 2018 and about three quarters of the MI5 caseload. Through the implementation of the Independent Review of Prevent, greater emphasis will be placed on ensuring that Prevent is delivered in a proportionate manner that focuses on the most prolific threats.
There were 645 referrals adopted as a Channel case in the year ending March 2022. 9% of referrals to Prevent were adopted as a Channel case.
Prevent addresses all forms of terrorism. Of all the Channel cases adopted in 2022/2023:
46% were related to extreme right-wing radicalisation (296)
18% were linked to Islamist radicalisation (115)
16% related to individuals with conflicted concerns (103)
3% for school massacre concerns (18)
2% for incel related concerns (13)
Individuals aged 15 to 20 accounted for the largest proportion (32%) referrals, with individuals aged 14 and under accounting for 31%, followed by individuals aged between 21 and 30 (14%).
Rehabilitation
The Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DDP) works with individuals who have crossed the line into terrorist activity, aiming to reduce the risk they pose to the UK. The programme works by providing intensive, tailored interventions which support them to stop engaging in terrorist related activity (desist) and to move away from terrorist ideology (disengage).
The programme runs alongside existing statutory risk assessment and management processes such as the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) for managing offenders, to ensure it bolsters and complements work being done through existing frameworks. It is not a replacement for any police investigation or prosecution on individuals who have committed terrorism offences, either abroad or at home.
ACT EARLY EXPLAINED
Concerned about a family member or loved one? Talk To ACT Early
Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies. If you are worried someone close to you is becoming radicalised act early and seek help. The sooner you reach out, the quicker we can protect the person you care about from being groomed and exploited by extremists.
We know that families and friends are often the first to know when something’s not right and can spot worrying behaviour. We also know it can be hard to know what to do if you’re worried a loved one is expressing extreme views or hatred that could lead to them harming themselves or others. It’s important, however, that you trust your instincts and tell us your concerns in confidence so we can help.
Police forces across the country have specially trained Prevent officers who work alongside other organisations through a Home Office programme called Prevent to help people vulnerable to radicalisation move away from violent extremism. We are here to listen and offer help and advice. Receiving support is voluntary.
Working alongside our partner agencies the police have helped many people who may be at risk of radicalisation. Depending on the situation, we might reach out to other organisations we work with to put the right support in place – this could be support from a doctor, through a school or with a local community group or mentor.
You can find out more by visiting our safeguarding website ACT Early where you can find signs to spot, case studies, other partner organisations who can offer support and how to share concerns with the police. The website is supported by a national police Prevent advice line, where families and friends can seek help and support in confidence from specialist Counter Terrorism officers.
We can help if you act early. You won’t be wasting our time and you won’t ruin lives, but you might save them.
To find out more about how to help someone close to you visit ACT Early.
EXIT HATE TRUST - including Exit Hate Family Support
Set up in 2016, Exit Hate was initially a simple community group called Exit UK, but today we operate as a charity (1197666) registered in England and Wales, using the working name - Exit Hate Trust.Providing non-judgemental support from a lived experience perspective, our staff team is made up of people who care, including Former Extreme Right-Wing (ERW) activists, family members who have had a loved one involved and dedicated professionals who assist people to walk away from the impact of extremism i.e., individuals involved or families with a loved one involved.Seeking to support people in need, we believe no one should be alone and offer No Judgment - Just Support from a lived experience perspective.While our focus is on Extreme Right-Wing extremism, we do support people involved in other forms of extremism, as we believe ALL extremism is wrong and will always help people who ask, as we want to break the cycle of hate, reduce ALL extremism and stop people getting hurt.
Promoting various ways to get support, we always recommend people speak to Prevent or ACT Early as first options.
To find your local Prevent contact details, simply search Your City and Prevent and you should be able to find details on how to talk to Prevent locally very easily
To contact ACT Early please call - 0800 011 3764 or visit - https://actearly.uk
Offering a different form of support, Exit Hate support people from a lived experience perspective. Engaging and supporting people in many ways, including Initial 121 mentoring, online support and an assortment of educational material.Operating with people making self-referrals, everyone who wants support can contact us and everything is in complete confidence. Full details and conditions can be found by visiting - www.exithate.com , then click on the Support Request Form and all conditions are listed there.
If you like what we do and would like to help you, then get in touch with us at - info@exithate.org and let us know how you can help.
If you support our work, why not make a donation at - https://donorbox.org/exit-support EVERY penny counts and all donations go directly to developing Exit Hate to support people in need.
WORRIED OR CONCERNED -
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO THOUGH THIS ALONE.
PLEASE REACH OUT FOR SUPPORT TODAY.
Sarah - Exit Hate Project Lead