Terms of reference - Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner
The Independent Prevent Commissioner’s role is to provide independent oversight of the Prevent programme to make sure that it meets its objectives effectively.
You can read an earlier version of the terms of reference on the National Archives: [ARCHIVED CONTENT] Terms of reference - Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner
Background
1. Prevent is one strand of the UK Government’s Counter Terrorism “CONTEST” strategy, its objectives are:
- tackling the ideological causes of terrorism
- intervening early to support people susceptible to radicalisation
- enabling people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate
2. Prevent delivery relies upon a wide range of partners from government departments, operational agencies and local communities. It operates under intense public scrutiny, and it is vital that Prevent delivery and the legislation underpinning it is as effective as possible in diverting people away from harming themselves or others through terrorism offending.
3. Previous Prevent review functions have provided important systemic learning and accountability, undertaken by timebound independent reviewers of Prevent, case specific Prevent learning reviews, and the Prevent Standards and Compliance Unit. Prevent oversight functions were provided by internal boards with no external scrutiny.
4. In 2025 the Home Secretary created an Independent Prevent Commissioner role to provide consistent oversight, with an emphasis on increasing the effectiveness of Prevent and developing insight into the way Prevent is delivered over the longer term. The Standards and Compliance Unit function was replaced by a thematic review function within the Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner (OIPC).
Role overview
5. The Independent Prevent Commissioner’s role is to provide an independent strategic oversight and scrutiny function for Prevent to ensure it can meet its objectives effectively. This will include the Commissioner providing an outlet for the public and practitioners to raise concerns about the delivery and impact of Prevent.
6. Any reports or reviews produced by the Commissioner will likely inform public policy thinking around Prevent and counter terrorism and how it interacts with broader violence reduction, social cohesion, public health, education, child protection, safeguarding and other public policy areas – and how in turn these policy areas can support counter-terrorism efforts. Recommendations must be meaningful and actionable, with the implications of implementation carefully considered.
Responsibilities
7. The Commissioner’s primary responsibilities will be to:
- provide oversight
- provide scrutiny
- engage widely to strengthen oversight and scrutiny
8. These responsibilities will apply in England, Wales and Scotland.
9. In carrying out these responsibilities the Commissioner will;
- analyse issues objectively and impartially
- provide honest assessment of how effective Prevent is
- make observations and recommendations based on evidence without political or other interference
Oversight
10. The Commissioner will maintain a presence within governance and oversight structures to ensure they are effectively holding Prevent delivery to account in fulfilling its own agreed objectives. This will include Prevent oversight boards, steering and delivery committees, whether fixed or task specific, at the Commissioners discretion.
11. The Commissioner will expect to be consulted on any changes to existing system oversight mechanisms.
12. The Commissioner will report to the Home Secretary and regularly engage through the Security Minister.
13. The Home Office Strategy Director will act as the senior sponsor for the role, and the Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner without prejudice to the Commissioner’s operational independence.
14. Policy support will be provided when needed by the Prevent Directorate.
15. The Home Office will also provide the Commissioner with other support appropriate to fulfil their responsibilities, including research or analytical support.
Scrutiny
16. The Commissioner will scrutinise Prevent legislation, policy and practice to ensure that Prevent can effectively meet its objectives.
17. The Commissioner will provide independent scrutiny of the delivery of Prevent through participating in strategic CONTEST oversight bodies, operational delivery structures and by engaging with Prevent practitioners.
18. The Commissioner will maintain an outlet for members of the public to raise concerns about Prevent policy or practice. There will be a clear mechanism on the OIPC’s website for such concerns to be communicated.
19. The Commissioner will engage with a broad range of stakeholders and interested parties including practitioners and those concerned about the potential for adverse impact arising from Prevent delivery.
20. To aid effective scrutiny the Commissioner will encourage the effective capture and widest possible dissemination of data, promoting greater transparency
21. To encourage a system built on sound evidence and consistently applied standards the Commissioner will encourage academic engagement in the analysis and development of policy and practice.
22. The Commissioner may, based upon analysis of any or all concerns received or issues identified carry out specific thematic reviews.
23. Parliament, the Home Secretary or other Ministers may, at any time, request the Commissioner to carry out a specific thematic review and report on any matter relating to Prevent.
24. The terms of reference for any reviews will be devised by the Commissioner, and progress reports will be provided to the Home Secretary.
25. Interim findings or similar may be provided to the public, the Home Secretary or other partners at the Commissioner’s discretion.
26. Unless agreed otherwise, the Commissioner will provide any completed reviews or reports to the Home Secretary before publication.
27. The Commissioner will also have a role in holding government to account for the implementation of their own recommendations and any other accepted recommendations from external bodies which are Prevent relevant.
Public engagement
28. In carrying out their role the Commissioner will engage with the public, spend time with Prevent practitioners, invite challenge from Prevent’s critics, seek to understand the realities and impact of Prevent delivery, capture best practice, promote transparency and promote an objective, balanced and common understanding of Prevent practice.
29. The Commissioner will engage in public debate, consult with communities, give evidence when required to Parliamentary committees and international bodies and provide independent commentary on Prevent-related issues.
30. The Commissioner will act in accordance with the seven principles of public life: - selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Reporting
31. The Commissioner will carry out their functions in a manner that promotes openness, transparency and public confidence in the delivery of Prevent.
32. The Commissioner will ordinarily publish reports, reviews, findings and recommendations arising from the exercise of their functions. Publication may be delayed, restricted or withheld where the Commissioner considers that publication would be likely to have an adverse impact on the effective functioning of Prevent, including its operational effectiveness or ability to meet its objectives. In such cases, the Commissioner will seek to maximise transparency to the extent consistent with those considerations.
33. The Commissioner will publish an annual report setting out their activities, findings, recommendations and observations during the reporting period, subject to the same considerations regarding publication.
Access to information
34. The Commissioner will make requests for information, both written and through interviews in accordance with their functions. It is the expectation that all relevant public bodies will comply with requests from the Commissioner, including for the disclosure of documents, data or other material whose existence is not known to the Commissioner but that are relevant to their enquiries. The Prevent Directorate within the Home Office will assist the Commissioner in identifying relevant sources of information and facilitating access on behalf of the Commissioner.
35. In the (anticipated unlikely) eventuality that relevant public bodies are unwilling to comply with requests from the Commissioner, the Prevent Directorate will assist the Commissioner in seeking access. The Commissioner will have direct access to the Home Secretary if they judge that information access challenges are preventing them from delivering their functions.
36. The Home Office Sponsorship Unit will ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for the Commissioner to access and store classified and sensitive material.
Clearance
37. The Commissioner will be required to hold DV clearance. Both the Commissioner and any supporting staff will be put through clearance processes as necessary to enable the effective undertaking of duties.
Conflicts of interest
38. Potential conflicts of interest should be raised with the Home Office Strategy Director immediately, and appropriate action taken to manage them.