Prevent Watch submitted evidence privately to the Children’s Commissioner specifically outlining the harms of Prevent on children. Our submission highlighted that:
- 36% of referrals in the year ending March 2025 came from the school sector (nursery, primary, secondary schools and sixth form colleges). Around half of all referrals (49%) were between the ages of 11-17, with 4% being under the age of 10.
- Once referred to Prevent, even though no crime has been committed or even conceived, children are involved in the criminal justice system.
- This includes possible interview by CT police without the safeguards provided by PACE 1984, such as the presence of a parent or guardian.
- Subsequent to a referral, notwithstanding the outcome, their information will be kept on several police databases for a minimum of six years and up to 100 years, and until age 25 on social services databases, impacting their education and career.
- Not only this, but there is a stigma associated with Prevent because it is linked in the public mind with terrorism.
- Two UN Committees and seven UN rapporteurs have highlighted the harms of Prevent on children and urged the government to act to safeguard children.
- But since Prevent operates in a pre-crime space, it provides few safeguards for children.
- The most recent data on Prevent referrals to year ending March 2025 shows that 9% of those referred are identified as a suicide risk, with a further 5% indicated as at risk of self-harm.
- Under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act going through Parliament, a child’s record can be accessed by other agencies, including police, and each child will be provided with a unique identifier, so should they be referred to Prevent this would worsen its harm in terms of the impact of data-sharing on the child.
- The last government introduced a Standards and Compliance Unit (STACU), but this body addresses only complaints about failures in Prevent training and not complaints by those alleging harms.
We recommended that the Children’s Commissioner:
- Formally recognise Prevent as a children’s rights issue
- Calls for clear child-specific safeguards and standards within Prevent
- Highlight gaps in accountability and redress for children and families
