England's children's commissioner Rachel de Souza has warned that a growing group of children who are 'intoxicated by extremism' and fixated with violence are not being helped by the UK government's Prevent anti-terror programme.
Key facts
- Report by children's commissioner Rachel de Souza found 71% of children referred to Prevent do not have a clear ideology.
- Referrals to Prevent involving children rose from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25.
- The commissioner described a group of children 'intoxicated by extremism' who need help Prevent cannot provide.
- Prevent is designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being radicalised or drawn into extremism.
England’s children’s commissioner has warned that the UK government’s flagship anti-terror programme is failing to help a growing group of young people who are ‘fixated with violence’, according to the Guardian.
In a report, Rachel de Souza said many children being referred to Prevent are ‘intoxicated by extremism’ but need forms of support the programme cannot provide. The findings raise concerns about whether the safeguarding scheme is equipped to respond to the profile of children now coming to its attention.
A central finding of the report is that 71% of children referred to Prevent do not have a clear ideology. Prevent was designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being radicalised or drawn into extremism, but the data suggests that many young referrals do not fit that traditional model.
The report also highlights a sharp rise in referrals involving children over the past decade. According to the figures cited, referrals rose from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25, an increase that underlines the growing scale of the challenge facing the programme.
The commissioner’s intervention points to a gap between the kind of support Prevent is set up to deliver and the needs of children who are drawn to violence without a defined extremist ideology, according to the Guardian’s reporting.
Why it matters
Prevent is a key part of the UK's strategy to protect vulnerable people from radicalisation, and questions about its effectiveness affect how the country responds to child safety and violence. If most referred children lack a clear ideology, it suggests the system may not be reaching those who most need help.
Frequently asked questions
What did the children's commissioner's report find?
The report by Rachel de Souza found that 71% of children referred to Prevent do not have a clear ideology, and warned of children 'intoxicated by extremism' who need help the programme cannot provide.
How have Prevent referrals for children changed over time?
According to the report, referrals involving children rose from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25.
What is Prevent?
Prevent is a UK government programme designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being radicalised or drawn into extremism.