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The children’s commissioner has raised concerns about the government’s counter-extremism programme, Prevent, highlighting its inability to effectively address the rising number of children being referred due to a preoccupation with violence that lacks a clear ideological basis. Over the past decade, referrals of children to Prevent have increased significantly, from 2,918 cases in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. Despite this rise, Dame Rachel de Souza noted that most children referred were simply returned to their schools without any additional intervention.
Dame Rachel pointed out that many of these children do not align themselves with traditional extremist ideologies. She emphasized the need for “stronger safeguarding” measures tailored to this particular group. The government has responded by stating that it is reviewing the report and considering new strategies to better support children who exhibit a fascination with extreme violence. This issue gains added significance in the aftermath of the Southport attack in July 2024, where three girls lost their lives during a dance class. The attacker, Axel Rudakubana, was 17 years old and had been referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist incidents and school shootings. However, his case was ultimately closed because he did not demonstrate a clear ideological motivation.
Established two decades ago, Prevent was designed to identify individuals at risk of becoming terrorists by addressing extremist ideologies such as far-right extremism or jihadist violence. The Southport Inquiry’s second phase is currently investigating how to manage individuals inclined towards extreme violence when ideology is not the main driver. It is also exploring the impact of social media and the internet in influencing such behaviours. Referrals to Prevent typically come through the education sector, with teachers or social workers spotting concerning behaviour. In the year from April 2024 to March 2025, 60% of child referrals were made by schools. However, the children’s commissioner’s report revealed that most cases were returned to educational settings because Prevent’s focus on ideological terrorism did not suit these referrals—71% of which involved no specific extremist ideology.
Dame Rachel described many referrals as involving children exposed to harmful online environments, where they witness peers self-harming or are fixated on violent figures such as school shooters—content that is illegal under the Online Safety Act. She acknowledged that counter-terrorism police and Prevent are effective at intervening with children influenced by extremist ideologies but stressed their inability to manage violence-driven cases without ideological roots. “What they can’t deal with is this, so we have to make sure there is a far wider response,” she told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme. Her report called for the media regulator Ofcom to enforce stricter controls on companies hosting inappropriate content and proposed that referrals should go through local multi-agency safeguarding teams, which would include counter-terror police as necessary. This approach, Dame Rachel suggested, would allow children to be directed to suitable interventions, whether through Prevent or other safeguarding programs.
Following the Southport attack, Prevent statistics showed a temporary surge in referrals of individuals lacking a fixed ideology, a pattern that tends to follow major terrorist events. The increasing concern about younger children being referred to Prevent has been noted by counter-terrorism policing for several years. In response, a government spokesperson reaffirmed the commitment to protecting all children from radicalisation, noting Prevent’s role in diverting more than 6,000 people from violent extremism since 2015. They stressed that every referral is carefully evaluated, and individuals not at risk of terrorism are supported through more appropriate services
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