Report a concern about Prevent
Find out how to report a concern about how the Prevent duty has been applied.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You can use this form to report a concern about how a public authority has applied their Prevent duties. Your concerns help us identify and review issues with how the duty is applied.
The Office of the Independent Prevent Commissioner (OIPC) will not investigate every concern, but will record all of them and look for patterns. These records will contribute to future reviews conducted by the Independent Prevent Commissioner.
Before you start
Use this form to complain about how the Prevent duty has been applied by public authorities.
You can report concerns about:
- schools, universities or colleges
- police, probation or prison services
- NHS or social care services
- local authorities
You can tell us about:
- how Prevent was applied
- if Prevent training was inadequate or inappropriate
- how multiple organisations shared information or worked together to meet their Prevent responsibilities
- how Prevent-funded projects or interventions were carried out
- patterns across multiple cases or areas
- the referral process and panel decisions
OIPC cannot respond to complaints about:
- Prevent policy or strategy decisions made by the government
- general policing matters not related to the Prevent duty
- immigration or visa decisions
- court decisions or legal proceedings
- council services beyond their Prevent duty responsibilities
Who can share concerns
Anyone can share concerns, including:
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members of the public
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Prevent practitioners
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people working for organisations with Prevent duties
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community organisations and civil society groups
What you’ll need
The online form will ask for:
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your contact details
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details of your concern and the organisation involved
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information about who is affected
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any supporting evidence
The form takes around 20 minutes to complete.
How we use your information
Your concerns help us:
- identify patterns where Prevent is not being followed properly
- inform reviews into the Prevent programme
For full details, see our personal information charter.
If your concern needs to be resolved
OIPC will not investigate every concern. If your concern needs dealing with, contact the relevant organisation.
Police matters
Contact the force directly or the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
NHS services
Follow the NHS complaints process.
Schools
Follow the school’s complaints procedure or contact Ofsted.
Local authorities:
Contact the local authority directly and then the Local Government Ombudsman.
Housing
Contact the landlord directly and then contact the Housing Ombudsman.