Guidance

NHS Prevent training and competencies framework

Updated 10 July 2025

Applies to England

Promoting equality and addressing health inequalities are at the centre of the NHS’s values. Throughout the development of the policies and processes cited in this document, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have given due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• advance equality of opportunity
• encourage good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic (under the Equality Act 2010) and those who do not share it
• reduce inequalities between patients in access to, and outcomes from, healthcare services
• ensure services are provided in an integrated way where this might reduce health inequalities
• protect the patients and staff who are most at risk as part of our safeguarding duties and responsibilities

Background to Prevent

Prevent is part of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, and aims to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

All healthcare staff have an important role in Prevent as part of their ongoing safeguarding duties to the public and patients they work with.

The objectives of Prevent are to:

• tackle the ideological causes of terrorism
• intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation
• enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

As set out in the Prevent duty guidance for England and Wales, all NHS trusts and foundation trusts must:

• ensure that healthcare professionals are trained to recognise where a person might be susceptible to becoming radicalised into terrorism
• know how to refer someone into Prevent and be aware of available programmes to provide support

Training needs analysis

This framework has been produced to support a consistent approach to training and competency development. In the NHS, the Prevent duty guidance for England and Wales sets out the expectation that local safeguarding forums, including local commissioners and providers of NHS services, have oversight of fulfilling the Prevent duty and ensuring effective delivery. This is also set out in the NHS safeguarding accountability and assurance framework.

This framework is intended for use by:

• NHS organisations
• commissioners of NHS services
• organisations working on behalf of the NHS
• organisations providing services for the NHS or NHS patients

To ensure consistency in training and competency development, this framework should be used alongside the following guidance from the royal colleges:  

• Adult safeguarding: roles and competencies for healthcare staff (Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2024)
• Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for healthcare staff (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), 2019)
• Looked after children: roles and competencies of healthcare staff (RCN, 2020, currently under review)

For more general information about the Prevent duty in healthcare, see Prevent duty: guidance for healthcare professionals.

Under the Skills for Care UK Core Skills Training Framework, Prevent training is mandatory for NHS provider organisations, NHS commissioners and organisations providing services on behalf of the NHS, to meet contractual obligations in relation to safeguarding training, as set out in the NHS Standard Contract.

As set out in the Prevent duty: core standards for healthcare commissioners and providers, NHS providers and commissioners in England and Wales must ensure that healthcare staff receive the appropriate level of training and understand their role in safeguarding vulnerable and susceptible people under the Prevent duty. Organisations must have effective arrangements in place to deliver basic Prevent awareness training, including approved e-learning packages.

In line with the RCN and RCPCH safeguarding documents and UK Core Skills Training Framework, this framework identifies 2 levels of competence and gives examples of groups that fall within each. Level 3 builds upon the competencies, knowledge and skills of the proceeding combined level 1 and 2 basic awareness.  

As set out in the core standards, the Prevent organisational lead has discretion to conduct a training needs analysis based on their judgement of staff requirements as above, and training competencies as below. They may decide that certain roles have additional responsibilities at level 3 that require a higher level of training than that provided by Prevent basic awareness (level 1 and 2).

Training and competencies

As a minimum, all staff working in a healthcare setting must know what to do if they are concerned someone is at risk of becoming radicalised and the referral procedure for this concern. This includes knowing who to contact in their organisation to communicate their concerns or seek advice.

Different staff groups will require different levels of competence depending on:

• their role
• their level of contact with patients or service users
• the nature of their work
• their level of safeguarding responsibility
• their need to undertake safeguarding advice and guidance to others as part of their work

Level 1 and 2

Level 1 and 2 training is covered by the training course ‘Preventing radicalisation – basic Prevent awareness’. This training can be accessed on the NHS England e-learning for health website or through the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) . You will need to sign in with your e-Learning for Health or ESR account details.

As a minimum, this training should be completed by all staff who work in a healthcare setting.

Core competencies

Competence at this level is demonstrated by staff knowing:

• what signs to look for which may indicate possible harm
• who to contact and seek advice from if they have concerns

Staff should:

• understand the objectives of the Prevent strategy and the health sector contribution to the Prevent agenda
• know their own professional responsibilities in relation to the safeguarding of adults, children and young people at risk
• understand the vulnerability factors that can make individuals susceptible to radicalisation or a risk to others
• know who to contact and where to seek advice if there are concerns about an individual who may be being groomed into terrorist activity
• be able to recognise potential indicators of risk relating to individuals being radicalised
• understand what impact direct (bullying, befriending and influencing) or indirect (internet, media) factors might have on individuals and how it might change their thoughts and behaviours
• be able to raise concerns and take action when they have concerns
• understand the importance of sharing information, including the consequences of failing to do so

Level 3

Level 3 training is covered by the training course ‘Preventing Radicalisation - Awareness of Prevent’. This training can be accessed on the NHS England e-Learning for Health website or through the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). You will need to sign in with your e-Learning for Health or ESR account details.

As a minimum, this training should be completed by all staff who could potentially contribute to assessing, planning, intervening and evaluating the needs of an adult or child where there are safeguarding concerns.

Core competencies

All staff at level 3 should have the core competencies outlined at level 1 and 2. They should also:

• know how to support and redirect vulnerable individuals at risk of being groomed into terrorist related activities
• know how to share concerns, get advice, and make referrals in order to safeguard vulnerable individuals
• understand ‘Channel’ multi-agency arrangements to provide support and redirection to individuals at risk of radicalisation
• understand the Prevent programme in the context of the Prevent duty and the concept of non-criminal space
• understand that radicalisation uses normal social processes and the ‘power of influence’ on all
• recognise influence, and understand the concepts of polarisation and the use of narratives and ideology
• understand the current threat level and that Prevent can be applied to all forms of terrorism, present or emerging
• understand the term ‘susceptibility’ in the context of Prevent and what vulnerabilities are exploited by terrorist groups
• understand there is no single checklist or profile of a terrorist, and that health staff are an important group and must use their professional judgement in assessing behaviours and risks
• understand how to recognise and share concerns, seek support and advice, and make referrals within their own organisation and with other agencies where appropriate
• be aware of Prevent duty: core standards for healthcare commissioners and providers and their organisation’s relevant policies, procedures and systems for Prevent

Maintaining knowledge and skills

As with all safeguarding training, staff should complete further learning and development as part of their ongoing development and practice.

Prevent leads and those advising on the Prevent duty should undertake some form of additional supported learning. For example, supplementary training can be accessed through the Home Office Prevent duty training.

It would be best practice for health and care organisations to have a clear process of supplementing the e-learning packages identified above with face-to-face conversations to support all staff to have a working knowledge and understanding of application into practice.