Our Expert Views

Our Expert Views

Rich, readable blogs from our experts who work among the community, in academia and research on new developments in Prevent and their real impact on people.

People's Review of Prevent

The People's Review of Prevent

The People’s Review of Prevent is an alternative review to the Government Shawcross Review.

This review provides a voice to the people most impacted by the Prevent Duty.

Prevent is described as ‘safeguarding’ children from harms. However, under Prevent, safeguarding is focused on protecting the wider public from children believed to be ‘risky’, rather than protecting children from harms.

Throughout our report we present case studies that show how real these harms can be and the distress they cause to children and their families and carers.

Expert View: How Prevent undermines democracy

JUMP TO: It is becoming widely accepted that Prevent undermines democracy, but on the other hand, it is true that government has a duty to ensure the security of its citizens. However, the balance between security and liberty is a difficult...

Expert View: How the UK Prevent strategy ‘adultifies’ young children

The UK Prevent strategy is contributing to undue moral panic and harming young people in the name of “counter-terrorism”, writes Prof John Holmwood, co-author of the People’s Review of Prevent. Here’s a summary of...

Podcast: Two reviews of Prevent, and the duel to hold the duty to account

Two reviews of Prevent, two views. After years in operation, the government will release an independent review of Prevent – but it has been boycotted by hundreds of organizations. Instead, many participated in a People’s Review of Prevent...

Trojan Horse Affair: How it took a hoax and the hijacking of a school to embed Prevent in education

Dr Layla Aitlhadj argues in 5 Pillars that the hoax Trojan Horse Affair which turned the lives of Muslims in Birmingham upside down was rooted in a preconceived Prevent agenda...

Another Prevent Learning Review with similar flaws is leading us down the same dangerous path

Jump to… In the span of one week, two Prevent Learning Reviews have been published: the first in relation to Axel Rudakubana who killed 3 young girls in Southport in 2024; and the second in relation to Ali Harbi Ali who killed the MP...

Prevent Learning Review: Five reasons why the recommendations are misleading

Jump to… The political framing of the Southport atrocity as a Prevent failure ignores the counter-terrorism mechanisms beyond the Prevent framework.  Following the revelation that Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times...