The Prevent Duty

As a registered provider of Higher Education with the Office for Students, the College of Health must comply with the Prevent Duty.

The Prevent Strategy, published by the Government in 2011, is part of an overall counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. The aim of the Prevent Strategy is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (2015) imposes a new statutory duty on Higher Education providers to “have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism.” This is now commonly known as “the Prevent Duty”.  Compliance with the Duty is monitored by HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England).

In order to comply with the Prevent Duty guidance, institutions must:

Assess the risks associated with people being drawn into terrorism and assess the context of their local situation and draw up a proportionate action plan to mitigate those identified risks;

Have responsive, effective welfare support systems, ensuring concerns about students’ wellbeing can be acted on in a joined up way, drawing on links to local Prevent structures (such as local authorities or the police) if necessary;

  • Have systems in place for assessing and mitigating risks around external speakers and events on campus, while maintaining the existing duty to promote freedom of speech;
  • Ensure senior managers and governors are engaged with the Prevent duty, build links with external Prevent partners, and arrange ongoing Prevent training for relevant staff;
  • Implement an IT usage policy which covers the Prevent Duty;
  • Ensure that students’ unions and societies are aware of, and are consulted with, on policies concerning activities on campus.

Our approach to adherence to the Prevent Duty:

Establish and manage an Action Plan to ensure the College of Health complies with the Prevent Duty Guidance in relation to the student community.

  1. Agree an Action Plan, and amend it as required from time to time, for approval by Governing Body Board of Directors.
  2. Oversee the implementation of the Action Plan, and to escalate to Governing Body Board of Directors areas where implementation may not be achieved.
  3. Review the operation of procedures under the Prevent Duty and discuss any changes required.

Key Prevent Duty documents: