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The Children’s Commissioner for England has called for a new safeguarding approach for children at risk of violence, exploitation or radicalisation, after analysis found that many children referred to the Government’s Prevent programme receive no additional support.
New data published by the Children’s Commissioner shows that at least 65% of Prevent referrals involving children made by schools and colleges were returned to education settings when the cases were closed. In 93% of those cases, the children received no support from Prevent.
The report examines the journeys of children referred to the counter-extremism programme, drawing on official statistics, interviews with professionals and new analysis of referral data.
It found that the number of Prevent referrals involving children increased from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. However, 71% of referrals involving children in the year to March 2025 did not identify a specific extremist ideology.
The report says professionals described many referrals as involving wider vulnerabilities, including exposure to harmful online content, fixation with violence, exploitation and unmet needs.
Children referred in such circumstances may be discussing weapons, expressing admiration for attackers, sharing violent material or engaging with dangerous online communities. Professionals interviewed for the report expressed particular concern about children being exposed to harmful content and becoming drawn towards radicalisation or violence online.
Of the 4,715 referrals involving children between April 2024 and March 2025, 79% were closed without progressing through the Prevent programme.
The analysis also found a difference in outcomes depending on whether a specific ideology had been identified. Referrals without a clear ideology were less likely to progress to a Channel discussion, with 86% not progressing, compared with 60% of referrals where a defined ideology was identified.
Nearly three in five child referrals in 2024-25 came from education settings. At least 65% of referrals made by schools and colleges were returned to those settings when closed, with 93% of those cases neither discussed at panel nor progressed through Prevent.
The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, said Prevent remained important in protecting communities and preventing people from being drawn into terrorism, but argued that referrals should form the beginning of an assessment of a child’s circumstances rather than the end of the process.
She said children could be referred for a range of reasons, including exposure to harmful online content, vulnerability to exploitation, mental health difficulties or concerning behaviour, and that services needed to be able to respond when cases did not progress through Prevent.
Dame Rachel is calling for children currently referred to Prevent to instead be assessed through local safeguarding teams, including Counter Terrorism Policing, and directed towards appropriate support.
She said a stronger safeguarding response was particularly needed for children who were fixated with violence but had no identified extremist ideology, with professionals requiring the expertise and support to identify needs, intervene early and provide appropriate interventions.
The findings come as Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry prepares to examine the adequacy of arrangements in England and Wales for managing the risk posed by violence-fixated individuals. The first phase of the inquiry raised questions about the operation of Prevent.
The Children’s Commissioner said that simply returning children to the services that had made the original referral, without identifying what was driving their behaviour or who would be responsible for addressing their needs, risked missing opportunities for early intervention and support.
