How can you spot the signs?

The Prevent duty guidance requires local authorities, education, health, police and prisons, probation and youth offender services to help prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. The duty helps to ensure that people who are vulnerable to radicalisation are supported as they would be under safeguarding processes.

Spot the signs of a vulnerable person
•    Low self esteem
•    Changes in emotional behaviour
•    Changes in routines
•    Isolating themselves from groups, spending time alone via social media.
•    Expressing feelings that they have no purpose in life and don’t belong
•    Fixated on an ideology, belief or subject
•    Change in language or use of words
•    Closed to new ideas/conversations
•    Scripted speech

Spotting the signs of radicalisation
•    Desire for status, need to dominate
•    Being influenced or controlled by a group
•    An obsessive of angry desire for change or ‘something to be done’

This is not an exhaustive list for radicalisation and could be linked to other forms of safeguarding vulnerabilities. To consider the possibility of radicalisation as an early safeguarding consideration could offer the individual the support they require.