Tackling extremism - WhatDoTheyKnow · Tackling extremism together in Redbridge. 1 ... Redbridge Action Plan 27 Appendices ... has faced terrorist attacks from groups

The London Borough of Redbridge Community Safety Team, Room 35, Perth Terrace, Ilford IG2 6AT

Tackling extremism together in Redbridge

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Contents Sign up sheet 3

Introduction 5

The national context 7

The local context 8

Local delivery 12

Working In partnership 15

Community Engagement, Community Cohesion and

Preventing Violent Extremism 17

The Redbridge model 18

Supporting vulnerable individuals and building resilience 20

Governance 22

Managing risk 25

Redbridge Action Plan 27

Appendices

Appendix 1 – National Indicator 35. Full definition and assessment framework

Appendix 2 – DRAFT Terms of Reference for Understanding Redbridge Communities


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Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum – Membership June 2008

Organisation Name Position

The Goodmayes Scout Group Abid Abdulkhaliq

Community Representative Ali Hai

Redbridge & Chigwell Muslim Association Ali Qureshi Chair

Al-Noor Muslim School Someera Butt Head

Government Office for London Assan Ali

British League of Muslims Bashir Chaudhry Chair

Muslim Public Affairs Commitee Catherine Heseltine Redbridge Representative

Qu’rani Murkuz Dr Mohammed Fahim

Eman Foundation Nina Atkar Representative

Islamic Society of Britain Zahid Amin

Young Muslim Sisters Fauzia Khan

Ilford Islamic Centre Ghazanfer Ali

London Borough of Redbridge Kathy Nixon Chief Officer, Community Safety

London Borough of Redbridge Len NortonDirector, Environment Regeneration and Community Safety

London Borough of Redbridge Kiran Box Safer Communities Partnership Manager

Ummah Foundation Khalid Sharif Moderator

Faith Forum Peter Musgrave

Redbridge Countering Extremism and Islamophobia Mohammed Azam

Metropolitan Police Peter Terry Borough Commander

RAMFEL Rita Chadha

RedbridgeCVS Ross Diamond Chief Executive

Inspire Tahmina Saleem

London Borough of Redbridge Tania Riedel Manager ,Youth Crime Prevention Service

Redbridge Bengali Association Tojam Hoque

Redbridge Muslim Women’s Network Yasmin Sattar

Federation of Student Islamic Societies Rashid Ansari

London Tigers Redbridge Mesba Ahmed

Muslim Youth Helpline Local Rep

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IntroductionThis country, like many others, faces a challenge from terrorism and violent extremism. In recent times our society has faced terrorist attacks from groups like the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and far-right groups. Today, however, intelligence tells us that the most severe terrorist threat being faced by the United Kingdom is from individuals and groups who distort the peaceful religion of Islam to justify attacks on our shared values.

Actions are being taken nationally,

regionally and locally to tackle the

hateful views and actions of far-right

groups. However, the threat from groups

who hijack Islam is the focus of the UK

CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy.

This severe threat has an impact on local

communities and the Government has

included a specific National Indicator (NI

35 “build resilience to violent extremism”)

to steer local areas in how they can

support specific aspects of the CONTEST

strategy.

Here in Redbridge we believe that:• Terrorism is a real and serious threat

to us all;

• Terrorists are criminals and murderers and they attack the values that we all share; and

• We all need to work together to tackle the terrorist challenge.

These messages are important by firstly

establishing that there is a serious

threat to all people living in the United

Kingdom - cutting through any culture

of denial that may exist. Secondly, the

messages de-glamorise terrorism and

separates terrorists from the rest of our

law abiding society.

This is the basis from which we will start

a mature and inclusive conversation

about what we all need to do to tackle

the problem of violent extremism and

terrorism - as individuals, communities

and as a partnership. In Redbridge

we believe in, and are committed to,

having an open debate about terrorism,

addressing openly and directly the issues

that threaten our community.

Local residents share a common space

and co-exist on the whole peacefully,

living together with common purpose

and contributing to a strong civic society.

With good local amenities, excellent

schools, a well-situated town centre, rail

and road links and relatively low crime

rates, Redbridge has proved to be an

aspirational borough in which to live.

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Challenges, however, do exist. We cannot ignore

the fact that with a large and varied Muslim

population there will be some individuals who

are vulnerable to the propaganda used by violent

extremists. We also cannot ignore that there is

despair and anger within our Muslim communities

that a small number of fundamentalists have

hijacked the term Islam to recruit and brainwash

innocent and often vulnerable members of the

community.

Within the United Kingdom, 30 actual terror

plots to cause harm have been uncovered

(figure correct June 2008). There are currently

200 terrorist related networks under surveillance

by the intelligence services; these involve the

detailed observation of over 2000 individuals.

In 2007, 37 individuals were convicted in 15

significant terrorist cases; 21 of those individuals

pleaded guilty. So far in 2008, 20 people have

been convicted in 6 terrorist cases, of which 9

individuals pleaded guilty. All those who have

pleaded guilty maintain they were undertaking

jihad for the sake of the Muslim “ummah”

(community) and Islam.

In order to counter the tensions fanned by all

forms of extremists, we will engage with all

sections of our community to tackle those who

sow division and discord within our society.

Together we will build the resilience of our local

communities, increase their capacity and networks

to counter extremism.

We will support our Muslim communities to

help them identify risk factors that can lead to

extremist behaviours, working with them to flush

out the recruiters to terrorism and to support

vulnerable individuals. We recognise that within

our community there exists information about

individuals, groups and establishments, this

information will be key to helping Redbridge

deliver targeted services to vulnerable groups.

The Redbridge Community Safety Partnership will

work to develop the trust of these communities

empowering them to safely share the information

they hold that will, in turn, strengthen the shared

values of our society.

Whilst we know this an important part of our

work, we also know that there will be significant

challenges because of the traditional mistrust of

communities to engage with some sections of the

partnership. This is not an issue specific to Muslim

communities, but many communities resist

working alongside the Council and/or the police.

To bridge this gap Redbridge will show a clear and

high level commitment to this agenda, allocate

resources to it and create sustainable projects and

structures with a long term, positive impact.

We are committed to avoiding a top down

solution; rather we will listen and engage

with our Muslim community to build a strong

consensus wherever possible. Violent extremism

cannot be defeated without the leadership and

commitment of the Muslim community. Here in

Redbridge our Muslim community is very diverse

with our Muslim residents representing a range

of ethnicities, professions and socio-economic

groups. Redbridge is also fortunate in that many

national Muslim community activists live in the

borough and have the potential to influence

opinion far beyond Redbridge’s boundaries.

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In line with Government guidance Redbridge will work with our vibrant Muslim partners:

‘To build resilient communities able to challenge

robustly the ideas of those violent extremists who

seek to undermine our way of life’

We will achieve this through:

1. Undermining extremism ideology and supporting mainstream voices;

2. Disrupting those who promote violent extremism, and strengthening vulnerable institutions;

3. Supporting individuals who are vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremists;

4. Increasing the capacity of communities to challenge and resist violent extremists;

5. Effectively addressing grievances; and

6. Developing understanding, analysis and information and improving strategic communications.

On the whole, the Muslim community of

Redbridge is keen to work in partnership to meet

challenges head on, and to liaise with the Safer

Communities Partnership to combat and reduce

all forms of extremism. All our communities

believe in the necessity of mutual support in the

building of resilience to counter the influence

of violent extremists. The Muslim community

in particular is mindful of the consequences for

the community and the inevitable backlash that

may occur if there is a terrorist attack connected

to Redbridge. It is therefore imperative that

Redbridge’s Muslim community is fully supported

and involved with the delivery of the local

preventing violent extremism strategy – “Tackling

Extremism Together”.

To support this work London Borough of

Redbridge has been awarded an additional Area

Based Grant of £741,000 over the coming three-

year period (2008 – 2001).

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The national contextCONTEST is the government’s long-term

strategy to counter terrorist activity. It

has been in operation since 2003 and

aims to reduce the risk from international

terrorism through four main strands:

• Pursue - to stop terrorist attack;

• Prepare - where we cannot stop an attack to mitigate its impact;

• Protect - to strengthen our overall protection against terrorist attacks (supported by National Indicator 36); and

• Prevent - to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremists (supported by National Indicator 35).

On 3rd June 2008 the Government

launched the National Prevent Strategy.

The Strategy highlights the commitment

from Communities and Local

Government, Home Office, Department

of Children, Schools and Families and

Employment and Training Corporation to

work together on this agenda.

Alongside the Strategy, guidance

was issued to Local Authorities and

Partnerships to help them work closely

with their communities to address issues

locally. These documents have been

considered in the preparation of our

local strategy and the key themes are

integrated at a local level.

During the initial stages of the CONTEST

strategy the Prevent strand fell within

the remits of the Home Office, Foreign

and Commonwealth Office and various

intelligence agencies. However, the

bombing and attempted bombings

in London on 7th and 21st July 2005

brought home to the public and

government that there was a real, and

potentially growing risk of British born

Muslims being recruited to terrorist

operations in the United Kingdom.

The Prevent strand now includes

Communities and Local Government

and individual local councils. Central

and local government recognise that the

best way to prevent individuals being

attracted to extreme ideas in the first

place is to win hearts and minds within

the Muslim community.

There needs to be active engagement

from a number of services to deliver on

this agenda. This includes the education

sector, children and youth services, youth

offending teams, secure estates and

immigration services. There is a national

drive to have communities engaged

at all levels to shape the development

and implementation of the action plans

delivered locally.

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Over the next three years the Government has

committed £45 million to the Prevent agenda

through Local Authorities. This is in addition to

Prevent related funding for an additional 300

Police Officers. Preventing Violent Extremism is

firmly embedded in performance management

frameworks, including National Indicator 35 and

Assessments of Policing and Community Safety

- National Indicator 63. The Comprehensive Area

Assessment process also embraces Prevent work.

The Prevent agenda is supported in the National

Community Safety Plan and Children’s Plan, as

well as the Local Government White Paper: Strong

and Prosperous Communities.

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The local contextWe know that we have a significant and

diverse Muslim community in Redbridge.

We also know that there are a variety

of community groups operating and

engaging with different sections of our

Muslim community. However, it is fair to

say that there are gaps in our knowledge

and understanding.

What we don’t knowCommunitiesThe most recent comprehensive data

available to us about any aspect of

Redbridge’s residential community

is from the 2001 Census. This data is

seven years out of date and we do not

know exactly how many Muslims now

live, work, worship or socialise in our

borough. In order to engage effectively

with our communities we need to

target resources to gain a more accurate

picture. We are proposing to carry out a

detailed profiling exercise to gather this

information. Projects we deliver will work

for one group but may be inappropriate

for another.

We will identify the following through

the profiling exercise: Identify the

make up of local Muslim communities

including population numbers, age,

gender and ethnicity.

Identify the size and make-up of

particular religious groups (Sunni and

Shia) and the numbers of secular Muslims

in Redbridge.Another significant gap in

our local knowledge involves intelligence.

Security Services hold information about

individuals and establishments within the

borough that they are unable to share

even with local police due to security

concerns. This leaves key agencies

working ‘in the dark’ and having to begin

from scratch in order to profile individuals

and areas of risk. These limitations on

what intelligence is available and what

can be shared makes local planning

difficult and can cause frustrations.

This fast moving and new landscape

of preventing violent extremism has

thrown up new challenges for Redbridge,

moving the borough outside its comfort

zones in many ways. Having to engage

with a valued section of our diverse

community on such a highly charged,

negatively perceived and sensitive area

is new and requires a high degree of

sensitivity from all parties.

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OrganisationsIn addition to a profiling exercise we will also carry

out a comprehensive mapping exercise to get

a full picture of the community based services

available for Muslims in Redbridge.

• Identify key contacts and the management structure of local organisations that work mainly with the Muslim community;

• Identify the aims and objectives of these organisations;

• Identify which Muslim groups they engage with;

• Identify services delivered by these groups;

• Identify if the organisation, or its members, has experienced any targeting by extremist groups;

• Identify if the organisations is aware of any other local Muslim community/voluntary groups in their area; and

• Identify whether these groups are prepared to engage with the Partnership.

This final point needs careful consideration

because of the sensitive and complex nature

of this work. Some groups in Redbridge may

hold views that make partners and community

groups very uncomfortable; some may even

profess sympathy for violent extremist groups. If

a group is reluctant to work with the partnership

is this because they hold these sympathies, if this

is the reason how should partners react to this

information? Conversely, if these groups want

to work with the partnership should we exclude

them so as not to lend them legitimacy or should

we work with them to better understand their

standpoint?

What we do knowHistorically there have been a number of terror

suspects linked to Redbridge, either through

family ties, education or residency. People

arrested in Waltham Forest in 2007 under anti-

terrorist legislation have family links to Redbridge.

The borough has also had a number of residents

who have been subject to a Home Office Orders.

Two such persons broke their orders in 2007

and are still being sought by authorities. We

also know that there is a focus on Redbridge to

be one of the leading boroughs in this area of

work. During 2007 the Government released

a Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder

Fund that helped councils to begin the work

to addressing preventing violent extremism;

Redbridge successfully bid for a total of £76,000

from this fund. Nationally there is interest in how

Redbridge is addressing the preventing violent

extremism agenda. In 2008 Lord Patel was

appointed by Hazel Blears MP (Secretary of State

for Communities and Local Government) as an

independent advisor on the issue of preventing

violent extremism. Redbridge was one of only

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22 boroughs across the country that Lord Patel

visited. In addition Her Majesty’s Inspectorate

of Constabulary and the Audit Commission are

making joint visits to boroughs as part of their

internal learning and development programme.

Redbridge is one of only 16 authorities in England

and Wales that will be visited by the Inspectorate

and the Audit Commission. Although the Census

is seven years out of date, it does provide us with

some insight into the make up of our Muslim

community.

Ethnicity and religionThe 2001 Census showed that Redbridge’s

population was 238,600. Over 36% of our

population are from a black or minority ethnic

(BME) community; which is high when compared

to the London average of almost 29%. The

Office of National Statistics predicts that by 2012

Redbridge’s BME population will reach 50.3% of

our total, and by 2026 this will have risen to 58%.

Not only does Redbridge have a diverse

community in relation to the ethnicity of its

population, it’s also diverse in relation to the faith

of residents. The 2001 Census recorded that

just over 50% of Redbridge residents state their

religion as Christian (compared to an average of

almost 72% for England and Wales). Islam is the

second most practised religion in Redbridge with

almost 12% of the population saying they are

members of the Muslim faith (compared to 3%

across England and Wales).

In Redbridge, the majority of Black, White and

Mixed Heritage people are Christians. The majority

of Muslims in Redbridge are Asian, although both

Black and Mixed Heritage ethnic groups have high

numbers of people who are Muslim. The Census

gives us a quantitative overview of the make

up of our Muslim community. During 2007 we

used some of the Preventing Violent Extremism

Pathfinder monies to carry out qualitative research

to better understand the needs of this community.

• Redbridge Muslim Needs Assessment

In 2007 Communities and Local Government

released Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder

funding to support local authorities working on

this new agenda. Redbridge successfully bid for

monies to carry out a consultation and needs

assessment with our Muslim community. This

project was delivered locally by the League of

British Muslims and the University of Central

Lancashire.

Respondents to this research expressed a range of

views about the prevalence of violent extremism

in Redbridge. Some of those interviewed felt that

this wasn’t an issue locally whilst others believed

that this was an important issue for them and their

community.

The research commented on the frustration and

anger felt by Muslims living in Redbridge that the

actions of a tiny minority have disproportionately

affected the whole community. Respondents also

mentioned the need for the local police to work

hard to use community engagement as a way to

build trust with the Muslim community.

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The research highlighted issues being faced by a specific group of Pakistani Muslims in Redbridge. Respondents also described risk factors that could lead to violent extremists being able to successfully operate in Redbridge, and how to tackle these factors locally:

• Deprivation and discrimination: these are both recognised “push” factors for individuals becoming involved in extremist groups;

• Citizenship and cohesion: work to promote citizenship and cohesion should take place in the context of Islam, not as something external or secular;

• Role of Imams: consider the role of Imams and support them to build their capacity to tackle extremism and promote moderate ideas;

• Project delivery: careful consideration must be given as to how projects to prevent extremism are delivered in the community. It is crucial that these projects are delivered by organisations that are trusted and seen as credible by Muslim communities;

• Debate and discussion: there is a need for increased provision of safe environments where young Muslims can explore, debate and discuss often controversial issues;

• Recognition that violent extremism and prevention of violent extremism is not just something that should be the preserve of Muslim communities.

Other Pathfinder projectsDuring the Pathfinder year two additional

projects were delivered Redbridge as part of

the preventing violent extremism agenda; the

Redbridge Forum Against Extremism and the

Islamophobia and also the Muslim Young people

Mentoring project:

• The Redbridge Forum Against Islamophobia and Extremism (now known as the

In 2007 The Redbridge Forum against

Islamophobia and Extremism, a local voluntary

organisation, secured a grant of £20, 000 from

the Department of Communities and Local

Government. The fund was used for focussed

work around preventing violent extremism;

including four newsletters (15,000 distributed in

total), three police surgeries, workshops at a local

madrassa (Islamic supplementary school) and

four seminars including a women’s seminar. It is

estimated 1000 people have participated directly

in these programmes throughout the year. This

Forum focuses directly on preventing violent

extremism within the Muslim community in the

south of the borough.

• Muslim young people mentoring project

Pathfinder funds were also used to extend the young people’s mentoring scheme, already existing in the Youth Crime Prevention Service, to include a Preventing Violent Extremism strand. This project has achieved the following outcomes:

• A project worker from the Muslim community has been recruited;

• All of the relevant policies and procedures are in place for the project;

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• The project received the Approved Provider Status (APS) award from the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation in May 2008;

• 12 mentors have been recruited and have successfully completed the eight three hour sessions of training;

• 9 of these mentors have began the B Tec in Mentoring and are currently collating their portfolios;

• All Mentors are subject enhanced CRB checks;

• Referral routes have been established within Loxford and Mayfield Schools, both schools with high Muslim populations;

• A ‘Starting Point Questionnaire’ has been developed and completed with all mentees to measure progress and will be used to evaluate the success of the project; and

• The project isbeing overseen by the Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum.

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Local DeliveryIn Redbridge we have used our local

research and knowledge to complement

the lessons learnt by our colleagues in other

boroughs. In addition we have examined

national and international research into this

area of work. Our action plan is firmly rooted

in National Indicator 35. The Government’s

national Prevent Strategy released in

early June 2008 has supplemented this

knowledge base, our action plan integrates

strands highlighted in this document.

Our analysis demonstrates that we are more

likely to prevent violent extremism if we;

• Effectively engage with our

communities, assisting them to build

their own resilience and capacity;

• Develop robust identification and

referral pathways for those individuals

who need more one to one support;

• Have community based projects which

focus on the engagement of women,

supporting children under 18 years, as

well as those aged 18-24 years who can

often become overlooked;

• Work with community leaders - both

in terms of existing leaders but also

developing the leadership skills of

others; and

• Tackle wider issues such as

discrimination and racism.

The Demos report - Bringing it Home has

pointed to internal and external risk factors

that may impact on the radicalisation of

Muslim communities:

Internal risk factors External Risk Factors

Extreme unrepresentative ideologies Perceived unjust foreign policy

Disaffected youth Impact of counter-terrorism measures

Mosques/imams inability to counter negative

ideologyIslamophobia and hate crimes

Lack of Muslim women’s participationNegative media representation of Islam and

Muslim

Crisis of identityDeprivation, discrimination and social

exclusion

Lack of strong community infrastructure

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The local evidence we have gathered from the needs assessments demonstrates that the general themes of our work will be:

Capacity building with Muslim communitiesWorking with our Muslim communities to help

them be resilient to violent extremism is a long

term project. We are committed to working with

our communities to ensure that they have the skills

and knowledge to continue this work long into the

future. Partners will share their skills and knowledge

to make sure our Muslim communities have tools

around community engagement, community

development and technical skills around making

successful funding bids to support ongoing work.

Community engagementA key feature of our work is our commitment to

and belief in a bottom up approach to this agenda.

Without the knowledge, energy, enthusiasm and

support from our Muslim communities this area of

work will struggle to have a long term impact. We

will use community engagement tools as a way

to make contact with all sections of our Muslim

community and encourage positive relationships

between these various groups.

Role of women in Muslim communitiesWomen are important and powerful members of

any community; our Muslim communities are no

different. In addition to being powerful agents for

change within communities the respect they are

held in makes them important opinion formers

in families too. Women are often part of informal

networks that operate outside the traditional

networks around places of worship. In order for

this work to be a success we need to work with and

support this section of our Muslim community.

Supporting children (under 18 years old) All children have a huge capacity to learn and

the lessons they learn in their formative years stay

with them into adulthood. In order for our work

to succeed we need to start giving children the

knowledge, skills and confidence to tackle violent

extremist ideas and give them positive messages

about our shared values.

Supporting young people (18 – 25 years old) Young people aged between 18 and 25 are

exposed to a range of new influences as they start

to move away from their families, enter the world of

employment or higher education or, unfortunately,

enter the criminal justice system. Young people

need to be equipped with the skills to combat

the propaganda of violent extremists and offered

support and guidance if they have fallen prey to

these ideas.

Working with community leaders, Mosque committees and ImamsThe most effective way for us to work with

our Muslim community is with the support of

community leaders. This may be traditional

leaders such as local councillors, mosque

committee members or Imams. However, we

acknowledge and welcome the challenge to

seek out new community leaders from groups

of women or young people. We want to move

away from simply working with the identified

community gatekeepers and give others the

skills and confidence to speak on behalf of their

communities.

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Tackling discrimination and racismBuilding the trust and respect of our Muslim

communities is a cornerstone of our partnership

work. To gain the respect of our Muslim

communities all partners need to demonstrate

that they listen to and take action on community

grievances. Research tells us that the issues of

racism and discrimination are two grievances

that our Muslim community feel have not been

given due consideration and priority. Work

to tackle racist incidents and hate crime has

been a core part of the work of the Community

Safety Partnership for a number of years, but

communicating the positive outcomes from this

work is an area that needs more thought. The

issue of discrimination against Muslim people is a

wider issue that we will raise locally, regionally and

nationally.

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Working in PartnershipIn order for us to work successfully on

this broad agenda a variety of statutory

partner organisations will work with

the lead organisations – Redbridge

Council Community Safety Service

and the Metropolitan Police. Our key

local statutory partners will include our

schools and education service, youth

service, youth offending and youth crime

prevention teams as well as the equalities

team who are leading the Council’s

Community Cohesion agenda.

Community Safety ServiceThe Community Safety Service will

take a strategic lead on the preventing

violent extremism work in Redbridge.

The Service will provide support to

ensure the smooth functioning of

forums and working groups and be the

main link between our local partnership

and Government Office for London.

The Safer Communities Team will lead

on the achievement of the targets

set under National Indicator 35 and

will lead on community engagement

linked to preventing violent extremism.

Work to monitor and reduce hate

crime is also located within the Safer

Communities Team.

Metropolitan PoliceOur local police play a critical role in

working with all local communities and

intervening to support individuals at

risk of violent extremism. In addition

to our community focused Safer

Neighbourhood Teams, specialist support

will be available from our local Prevent

counter terrorism intelligence officers.

Schools and educationSchools also play an important role in

helping young children become resilient

to the propaganda of violent extremists

and by tackling some of the grievances

extremists exploit through creating

an environment where all children

feel valued and appreciate diversity.

Curricular-based activities can help pupils

learn about different faiths and cultures.

Schools will need to be supported in

developing arrangements for dealing

with any concerns about children and

violent extremism as part of their wider

child protection duties.

Colleges and universitiesThese have an important role to play in

creating learning environments for older

young people that are resilient to violent

extremist ideas while encouraging

healthy and informed debate. These

institutions can also provide support to

individuals who may be vulnerable to

violent extremist propaganda.

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Youth serviceThe youth services have an important role to play

in providing and supporting positive activities for

young people, build resilience and provide targeted

support to vulnerable young people.

Youth Offending and Youth Crime PreventionThese services engage with some of the most

socially excluded young people in Redbridge.

These young people are highly vulnerable to

influence from violent extremists either in the

community or in custodial establishments.

The importance of this area of work has been

highlighted by additional Prevent funding being

made available via the Youth Justice Board.

Equalities Our Equalities services lead on the community

cohesion work in Redbridge. This includes

supporting the Inter Faith Forum and co-

coordinating work to monitor community tensions

In addition to these statutory organisations we

will be nurturing the excellent relationships we

already have with some sections of our Muslim

communities and working hard to build new

relationships with those we haven’t worked with

previously. Working with these groups who we

haven’t meaningfully engaged with before will be

challenging. Some groups have a long standing

distrust of statutory bodies and of other Muslim

groups. This complex key area of work will have to

be approached with great sensitivity and tact.

Community engagement, community cohesion

and preventing violent extremism.

For many years Redbridge, has actively promoted

and encouraged its communities to live

harmoniously together. Community cohesion

projects have formed an important part of the

work Redbridge Council delivers to our diverse

communities and will continue to do so as part

of National Indicator 1 (% of people who believe

people from different backgrounds get on

well together in their local area). Furthermore

Community Cohesion is an underlying theme of

the Redbridge Sustainable Communities Plan 2008.

The Department for Communities and Local

Government have made clearer that the preventing

violent extremism and the community cohesion

agenda’s are separate and not to be confused.

Notwithstanding the rigid line that has been drawn

the two areas clearly overlap in very significant

regards. The overall objectives of the community

cohesion are:

• Developing knowledge and understanding of

different ways of life and promoting respect;

• Recognising and challenging prejudice;

• Promoting local pride and sense of belonging;

• Promoting leadership and commitment;

• Encouraging participation and engagement;

• Engaging with young people; and

• Tackling exclusion and deprivation

These objectives are clearly necessary, if not

sufficient, component to preventing violent

extremism.

Community engagement supports community

cohesion by encouraging communities to interact

with one another and with key agencies such as

the Local Strategic Partnership. Although there is

a link between community cohesion, community

engagement and preventing violent extremism

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we must be clear that these areas of work are

complementary to each other, not the same as

each other. Community cohesion is reflected

in how ‘well’ communities get along with one

another and how they perceive one another,

community engagement is reflected in how ‘often

they interact’ with one another and other agencies.

Preventing Violent Extremism seeks to reduce the

impact of violent extremism within communities

by building resilience to it. Communities that are

better engaged and more cohesive are less likely

to harbour violent extremism and more likely to

resist it. This strong resilience is part of our vision

for Redbridge’s communities. Community cohesion

is an important element of preventing violent

extremism, but is not a tool that is effective when

targeted at small groups who may be tempted to

take part in violent extremist acts.

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The Redbridge Model Our detailed action plan can be found

later in this document. We have listened

to the advice of Government Office for

London and tied our action plan very

closely to the assessment framework

for National Indicator 35. This structure

allows us to demonstrate how individual

projects from each of the local general

themes assists us in achieving the

outcomes detailed in each of the 4

strands of National Indicator 35.

Strand A: Understanding of, and engagement with,

Muslim communities.

Strand B: Knowledge and understanding of the

Preventing Violent Extremism agenda

Strand C:Effective development of an action plan

to build the resilience of communities

and support vulnerable individuals

Strand D: Effective oversight, delivery and

evaluation of projects and actions.

Our model for delivery of the preventing

violent extremism action plan is based

on a pyramid of community groups and

interventions. At the base of the pyramid

is the whole local Muslim community

and we will be using community

engagement and capacity building tools

to strengthen the whole community’s

ability to be resilient to violent extremism.

A smaller group of people will be

identified as being particularly vulnerable

to the propaganda of violent extremist

recruiters. Within this group will be an

even smaller number of very high-risk

individuals who we have assessed

at being at immediate risk of being

influenced by the extremist propaganda.

In order to work with these two groups

we will need to develop robust risk

assessment frameworks and referral

pathways, even using existing panels

like the Persistent and Prolific Offender

panel. Once the risk assessments have

been carried out we will be able to offer

tailored support such as mentoring.

Finally there are a minority of individuals

at the peak of the pyramid who have

taken some violent extremist action. This

small group of people then enter the

pursue strand of the national counter-

terrorism strategy and become the focus

of the police, intelligence services and

criminal justice system.

20


Local use of languageKey to our successful local delivery

is an appreciation of how sensitive

and how serious a subject preventing

violent extremism is. One way that we

demonstrate this appreciation is in the

language we use in our discussions and

debates.

Within the Understanding Redbridge

Communities Forum, and internally

within all partner organisations we will

use direct but appropriate language,

not shying away from the real threats

posed. We will acknowledge the

complexity and sensitivity of the issue.

We will also strive to make sure that all

our public facing messages are clear

and unambiguous, making it difficult for

violent extremist propagandists to turn

to their advantage. Part of our capacity

building work with delivery agents will

be around the language they use when

discussing the issue of preventing violent

extremism in the community. The

Partnership will not be prescriptive about

what language should be used, but we

will insist that all messages are clear and

unambiguous. The use of language must

be judged on whether it will be a barrier

to engagement. For example, some

delivery bodies may be uncomfortable

using the term “preventing violent

extremism” and would prefer to use

“community safety” or “community

cohesion”.

Pursue

Prev

ent Very high-risk:

targeted intervention

Vulnerable individuals who have been assessed as

needing additional support.

Community engagement and capacity building to strengthen the

whole Muslim community

21


Supporting vulnerable individuals and building resilienceIt is a core principle of Redbridge to

build the capacity and resilience of the

local communities it serves; to help

communities identify potential victims

and perpetrators of violent extremism.

However there is a responsibility on all

partners too; to ensure that they are

aware of the potential risk factors that

mean an individual may be susceptible to

violent extremist propaganda. Partners

also need to know where to take any

concerns they have and how and where

to refer individuals who may be at risk.

To this end local delivery partners will be

trained and kept up to date on the latest

research around the identification of

risk factors that may make an individual

vulnerable to violent extremism. We

will attempt to develop, debate and

disseminate robust risk assessment

frameworks for all partners to use.

However, this is a very difficult area, as

indeed much of the profiling of existing

terrorists is not known outside of the

security agencies. There are no national

or local frameworks that exist in this

area, although some are now being

piloted. Redbridge will devise some risk

assessment framework but this will be

limited. The Understanding Redbridge

Communities Forum will have a scrutiny

role and responsibility to reduce the risk

of inappropriate referrals both in terms

of organisations that come forward for

funding and individuals we engage in

projects. This is due to the fact that many

of the conventional risk management

systems such as CRB clearance, may not

pick up issues relevant in this work.

What factors determine violent extremism?In the past the police and security

services have been able to draw up

accurate profiles of those individuals at

risk of becoming criminals, including

those likely to be involved in terrorism.

However, the recent terrorist acts carried

out in London and Glasgow, plus the

intelligence being gathered about

supporters and networks associated with

these criminals, has shown that these

people do not fit the “traditional” profiles.

Often the people who have carried

out the terrorist acts, those involved

in planning such acts and the support

networks around these individuals have

appeared to be well integrated into

British society. Many perpetrators have

had mainstream, well-paid employment

(for example, as teachers and doctors);

often they have a good level of

educational achievement and have

played active roles in their communities.

22


The Pathfinder research carried out in Redbridge

in 2007 addressed issues around the causes of

violent extremism and what behaviours might

indicate that someone has become influenced

by extremists. Respondents to the assessment

mentioned the impact of discrimination and

racism as factors that could push people towards

radicalisation and thus vulnerability to violent

extremist ideas. However, it would be too general

to claim that all those who follow Islam and

have experienced discrimination will become

radicalised or attracted to violent extremism.

As with all criminal profiling there are a number

of risk factors that have a complex relationship

to each other. The Institute of Community

Cohesion and London Borough of Hounslow use

the diagram below to demonstrate the range of

factors that can act to make someone susceptible

to violent extremism.

INDIVIDUAL CONTEXT

Personality & disposition

Family influence & networks

Level of education

Extent of shared experiences

COMMUNITY CONTEXT

Influence of community & faith leaders

Friendships, networks & gangs

Availability of shared cultural spaces

Local community factors

PUSH FACTORS

Alienation

Poverty & exclusion

Lack of political or democratic process

VIOLENT EXTREMIST

PULL FACTORS

Ideological attraction

Preferred values

Engagement with alternative community

Reinforcement by same group contact

23


We need to encourage projects locally that

support vulnerable individuals and groups who

fit the more traditional profiles and those who fall

into the new, non-traditional profiles.

An example of the balance that needs to be struck

between the traditional work with vulnerable

young people and the new work is around

the venues and networks used by extremists

to prey upon these young people. Work will

continue with our Youth Offending and Youth

Crime Prevention Teams to disrupt attempts to

radicalise young people at risk of entering the

criminal justice system and those already in prison.

However, work will also need to go on in our

colleges and local university to disrupt extremists

attracting these high achieving, seemingly

integrated young people who fit the new,

emerging profile.

24


Governance When Redbridge successfully bid for

PVE Pathfinder funds in 2007 a local

multi agency steering group was set

up to oversee the delivery of the local

Pathfinder projects. Members of this

group included the Council’s Safer

Communities Team, Youth Crime

Prevention Team and Equalities Team. In

addition the meetings were attended by

a police Chief Inspector and members of

local Muslim community groups.

In light of the strategy and new action

plan, the terms of reference, membership

and responsibilities of this forum will all

change. A new structure will now be put

in place to deliver, monitor and oversee

the new PVE agenda in Redbridge.

• Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum (URCF) – see

Appendix 2 for Terms of Reference

and membership

The Understanding Redbridge

Communities Forum will oversee the

delivery and performance management

of the preventing violent extremism

strategy. It will have a responsibility to

ensure that all sections of the action

plan are delivered upon. The group will

commission organisations to deliver

specific projects and have sub-groups

focusing on particular areas (structure

chart A). In Year one the Chief Officer

for Community Safety will chair these

meetings. This represents the Councils

commitment to the agenda, encouraging

communities to engage. A local

authority Chair may be perceived as

more independent at this stage until all

members are fully signed up to the joint

approach. The group will report directly

into the Safer Communities Partnership

Board.

The Community Safety Team in the

Council are working closely with all

partners to co-ordinate the work. A

project officer is now in post and will

play a key role in engaging with existing

community groups, forging links with

new groups and working directly with

colleagues from our statutory and

voluntary sector. In addition, the post

holder will carry out joint work with

service areas across the Council.

All projects will be commissioned using

council standing order arrangements.

Each will have a robust service level

agreement outlining aims and objectives

of projects, clear outcomes and delivery

plans. Any under performance issues will,

in the first instance, be picked up in the

regular contract monitoring meetings

with the provider.

As part of our commitment to ensuring

this agenda truly has grassroots support

25


it is our intention to encourage voluntary and

community groups to dominate this Forum

over the course of the three years of this

current Strategy. In year 1 we hope for 60%

representation to come from the statutory

partners and 40% from our voluntary and

community groups. In year two this will move

to 50%/50% and in year three to 60% voluntary/

community and 40% statutory.

Financial Risk ManagementRobust audit and oversight arrangements for the

control of funding will be an important part of

the Redbridge risk management process; local

partners will be clear on how funding to prevent

violent extremism is being spent. An effective

and innovative approach will involve working

with a range of community groups, many of

which will have limited capacity to undertake

rigorous self audit. Statutory partners will take

steps to mitigate any risks involved in this process.

Progress will be evaluated by the increase of

communities that condemn and reject violent

extremism and support those most at risk from

within their communities

• Understanding Redbridge Communities Working Groups

The Forum is a large group and it would be

inefficient for this group to manage the delivery of

specific projects. To this end the Forum will set up

four small working groups. The working groups will

monitor, manage and co-ordinate project delivery

around the main strands of the action plan:

Engaging with women

Supporting children

Supporting young people

Working with community leaders

26


Structure chart A

Regional partners

Counter terrorism units

Policeauthorities

Police forces

GovernmentOffices

Regional offender managers

National partners

United Kingdom Boarder Agency

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Home Office Youth Justice Board

Communities and local government

Department for children, schools and families

Local Delivery partners

Third Sector Schools Youth Offending /Prevention Services

Crown Prosecution Service

Universities/ Colleges

Community Groups

Courts Prisons Probation

Local partners

Young people Woman Community leaders

Communication

Local Strategic Partnership

Crime and Disorder Partnership

Performance Monitoring and Implementation

group

All other sub groups

Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum

27


Managing RiskThis is a new area of work for many

Redbridge and as such brings new

challenges. There are several risks to

delivery and we are often in an unknown

territory. We can expect to learn a lot over

the next few years, we will be working

closely with other local authorities and

trying to pre-empt risks that may arise.

Many of the risks to delivery have been

highlighted in the body of the strategy

e.g. not having clear risk assessment

frameworks for vulnerable individuals, or

complexities in working with communities

who do not necessarily talk to each other.

We do not know, for example, how many

mosques there are in the Borough, as not

all sections of the community recognise

all of them. These are clearly massive

challenges for us to overcome.

28


Delivery Risks Management

Inter communal tensionsAll groups to sign up to the Strategy. Council to chair Forum meetings to maintain neutrality of the group.

CRB checks not highlighting areas of concern

Set up a Community Panel to review membership of Forum and individuals associated with delivery partners.

Financial risksUse police intelligence, Council standing orders, Service Level Agreements and monitoring meetings to manage the spending of funds.

Politically sensitive issues Awareness of use of language. Open and honest debates.

Outdated profiling and mapping Ongoing updating process

RepresentationMain identity factor will be organisations that engage mainly with Muslims

Use of term PVE may alienate Public communications selective, working groups will be more direct

Suspicion around fund allocation Clear processes on how money is spent and allocated

Conflict of interest The exec will scrutinise and be the final body in fund allocation

High expectations Manage expectations

Training fatigue for frontline staff Fresh approach including direct community input

Identification of vulnerable individualsHighlighting risk factors, but being aware of the current limitations of this data.

Referral next steps Clear processes with cross agency support for referring and supporting individuals

Accessing mosques slow process Realistic approach with regular contact

Onerous time commitment from studentsForums and other activities will take place in quiet term time and during holidays

Forums deemed unsafe for the robust exchange of ideas

Confidentiality agreements, feedback agreed with participants prior to release

Vetting of mentors Vetted by the Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum

Accessing Muslim women Approach women’s organisations and networks directly

Cross borough overlap on FE workApproach key bodies including student unions and other surrounding boroughs

SustainabilityManage expectations

• Invest in building Infrastructures• Explore future funding options

Limitations of delivery based on resources and time

• be process driven• External assessment

29


Strand National Indicator targets

Project description Costing Delivery

1. Understanding

of, and

engagement

with, Muslim

communities.

Understanding1.a Profiling Redbridge Muslim community

Collect and analyse information about the

Muslim community in Redbridge (age, gender,

ethnic breakdown etc.)

1.b Mapping services and projects within Muslim

community

Collecting information about existing services

(statutory, voluntary and private) available

to, or aimed at various aspects of the Muslim

community (mosques, prayer rooms, bookshops,

support groups, language support etc.)

1.c Communication strategy

Develop a comprehensive communication

strategy to maintain good lines of

communication with the Muslim community

about PVE work, to encourage better

communication and understanding between

Muslim and non-Muslim groups and between

Muslim groups.

Engagement1.d Local community projects

Ring fence a proportion of PVE funds to support

local, community based projects. The fund will

have criteria that achieve the aims of the national

Prevent strategy plus ensure local circumstances

are taken into account. Understanding

Redbridge Communities Group will administer

the fund.

£10,000

Included in

4.b

£5,000

£75,000

Commission

PVE

Programme

Manager

Commission

Bidding

process for

local delivery

Redbridge Action Plan

30




2. Knowledge

and

understanding

of the

Preventing

Violent

Extremism

agenda.

Knowledge and understanding2.a Training for frontline staff

Provide training and support for front line staff

in both voluntary and statutory services to

understand violent extremism, how to identify

people that support or are vulnerable to the

propaganda of violent extremist groups and how

to support these vulnerable individuals

£5,000

PVE

Programme

Manager

3. Effective

development

of an action

plan to build

the resilience

of communities

and support

vulnerable

individuals

Resilience of communities 3.a Muslim leaders support

Provide training and support for community

leaders, Imams and mosque committees in the 5

Redbridge mosques to allow them to understand

violent extremism, how to identify people that

support or are vulnerable to the propaganda of

violent extremist groups and how to support

these vulnerable individuals. Additionally,

provide English language training for Imams

where appropriate.

3.b Community leadership projects

Develop projects to give young people skills and

learning around different interpretations of Islam,

debating, negotiating and conflict resolution

skills plus leadership skills.

3.c Debating forums

Create safe forums and environments where

young people can debate, question and express

their views about Islam, being a young British

Muslim, the impact of British foreign policy on

their views and concerns about local issues e.g.

stop and search etc

Included in

1.d

£5,000

Linked to

3.b

Bidding

process for

local delivery.

Bidding

process for

local delivery

31




Support vulnerable individuals3.d Identifying vulnerable individuals

Use local, regional and national information and

data to identify risk factors, behaviours and/or

triggers that could make individuals vulnerable

to violent extremist propaganda. Identify ways

to monitor these individuals and ways to de-

radicalise them.

3.e Parenting support

Provide support and advice to parents around

violent extremism, how to debate issues around

interpretations of Islam and violent extremist

ideas, what behaviour to look out for and what

to do if they suspect someone they know is

vulnerable to violent extremism.

3.f Mentoring scheme

Provide training to a number of local Muslim adult

mentors to provide one-to-one support to Muslim

young people. Mentors to provide support,

advice and a role model for young people.

3.g Young Muslim offenders support scheme

Where young vulnerable Muslim youth will be

supported to re-integrate positively back into the

local community.

3.h Engaging Muslim Women / Forum

To develop the skills to empower Muslim women

to act as community leaders and champions

and to ensure that their voices are heard. To

build their capacity to deal with problems and to

provide support for those at risk.

3.i Further education support

Assist students on campus with disseminating

counter arguments to those espoused by violent

extremists.

£75,000

bid to

Youth

Justice

Board.

£75,000

bid to

Youth

Justice

Board.

£25,000

Linked to

1.d

Linked to

1.d

Linked to

1.d

M-Power

M-Power

M-Power

Bidding process for local

delivery


delivery


delivery

32




3.j Peer mediation for young people

Aims to recruit and train a diverse group of young

Muslims to work with their peers to identify

issues, challenge extreme views and look for

local solutions to problems. This project will also

create a Muslim Youth Network – a mechanism

for developing and delivering a programme of

activities, discussion and engagement

Linked to

1.d

£37,000


delivery

Metropolitan Police

3.h Preventing Violent Extremism Schools Police

Officer

Police officer working in schools to provide

training, support and awareness raising to

teachers and parents.

4. Effective

oversight,

delivery and

evaluation of

projects and

actions.

Oversight4.a Understanding Redbridge Communities

Develop URCF into a truly representative

community and statutory group that will oversee

the delivery of all projects supporting the PVE

agenda in Redbridge. The group will agree

funding for local community projects.

Delivery4.b Project manager

Employ a manager to co-ordinate and monitor

the delivery of all PVE projects in Redbridge.

Evaluation4.c Project management

Ensure that URCF has appropriate information,

training and support to evaluate individual

PVE projects and evaluate progress in terms of

achieving targets set for NI35. This will include

comprehensive Service Level Agreements and

agreed performance management targets.

N/A

£40,000

GOL

funding

PVE Programme

Manager

Safer Communities

Team

Consultancy

33


34


Appendix 1National indicator 35 full definition and assessment framework

Rationale The UK faces a threat of terrorism,

which is severe and sustained. A security-based

response is not enough – we must stop people

being drawn to violent extremism in the first

instance. This means creating an atmosphere in

communities where violent extremism and violent

extremists are resisted and rejected. It also means

developing an awareness of, and mechanisms

to help identify and support individuals at risk of

violent extremism.

The nature of the challenge can, however, vary

from place to place. A locally driven approach,

which is based within the community and works

in partnership with it, is therefore essential. The

Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund

was originally set-up to support this work, and this

indicator will continue to measure progress on

this work in priority local areas. Given the nature

of the issues concerned it is difficult to directly

measure outcomes in this agenda. This indicator

therefore measures the standard of local areas’

arrangements against a number of key factors.

Further detail on the preventing violent extremism

agenda can be found at www.communities.gov.

uk/communities/preventingextremism/

Details of the authorities eligible for funding in

07/08 are provided at Annex A of the Preventing

Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund 2007/8 Case

Studies document.

In addition to this consultation document CLG

and Home Office will be delivering a series of

regional consultations with local partners on the

assessment framework via the Government Office

network.

Details of the assessment framework will also

be published for discussion through the IDeA

Knowledge Community of Practice website on

preventing violent extremism.

Definition Assessment framework, which assesses

the quality of Preventing Violent Extremism

projects on a 1 – 5 scale against 4 main themes.

These four themes are:

• Understanding of, and engagement with,

Muslim communities;

• Knowledge and understanding of the

Preventing Violent Extremism agenda;

• Effective development of an action plan to

build the resilience of communities

• and support vulnerable individuals;

• Effective oversight, delivery and evaluation of

projects and actions.

Performance is defined at each stage of the scale,

e.g. when considering ‘understanding of, and

engagement with, Muslim communities’ LSPs

would rate their performance between a 1, where:

‘The community is engaged on an ad hoc basis

and through wider faith/ minority groups.

Mechanisms and engagement is/are not self

sustaining or productive. Understanding of the

make-up of the local Muslim community is cursory

and limited’; and a 5:

‘A self sustaining, dynamic and community driven

engagement which takes place on a number of

different levels and in a number of different ways,

35


with innovative approaches to communication

and engagement of all groups. Sophisticated

understanding of local Muslim communities

is used to drive policy development and

engagement.’

Collection interval Yearly

Data Source LSP

Reporting organization Local authority

Spatial level Single tier and district council. Only

eligible authorities (those that meet published

selection criteria) would be expected to report.

Further GuidanceThis indicator also forms part of the APACS

(Assessments of Policing and Community Safety)

consultation which is available at:

http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/apacs

Please return all your comments on this and other

APACS indicators to:

[email protected] or

APACS Consultation, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, Fry Building (4th Floor, Post Point A)London SW1P 4DF.

Assessment FrameworkStrand A: Understanding of, and engagement with, Muslim communities.

Score Description

1Community engaged on an ad hoc basis and through wider faith/minority groups. Mechanisms and engagement is/are not self sustaining or productive. Understanding of the make-up of the local Muslim community is cursory and limited.

2Regular mechanisms for consulting and working with Muslim community, but attendence and reach not wide. Tendency to engage with individuals and interest groups rather than communities. Basic knowledge of structure of local Muslim community in terms of ethnicity and geographical extent.

3

Regular and reliable mechanisms for frequent contact with whole communities, as well as individuals within communities. Strong knowledge of the make-up of the Muslim communities, including different ethnic groups, denominations, social and economic status, elected representatives and community leaders, knowledge of location and denomination of mosques, awareness of community groups. Knowledge of partner agencies appropriately utilised.

4

Regular and reliable mechanisms which include all communities and under-represented groups such as women and youth in an ongoing dialogue. That dialogue influences and informs policy. Sophisticated and segmented understanding of Muslim communities, the structures within them, and the cultures which make them up.

5

A self sustaining, dynamic and community driven engagement which takes place on a number of different levels and in a number of different ways, with innovative approaches to communication and engagement of all groups. Sophisticated understanding of local Muslim communities is used to drive policy development and engagement.

36


Strand B: Knowledge and understanding of the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda

Score Description

1Awareness of the issues, but no thinking about what it means for the locality, what the implications are in terms of capacity and capability, or how to engage fully with the agenda.

2Basic understanding of what is required from local authorities, and familiarity with key documents and guidance material. Some thinking about the implications in terms of capacity and capability requirements.

3Grasped key points of the agenda, and its implications locally, with input from stakeholders and partner organisations. Understand radicalisation drivers and have started to build an evidence base for the work.

4

Strong understanding of the agenda, interfaces with related policy areas, awareness and use of best practice networks and material. Strong evidence base for the work. Understanding of capacity and capability requirements, including those necessary for interventions to support individuals at risk of radicalisation.

5Able to drive forward and develop understanding of the agenda at a local level, and consider implications across LSP delivery organisations and strands. Exceptionally strong evidence base and understanding of radicalisation drivers, risk factors and based on that capacity and capability needs.

Strand C: Effective development of an action plan to build the resilience of communities and support vulnerable individuals

Score Description

1 Basic, narrowly focussed action plan in place.

2 Action plan with clear resource allocations and timeframes attached to actions.

3Risk-based comprehensive and clear action plan which makes clear links to Preventing Violent Extremism agenda.

4

Risk based and strategically focussed action plan with clear links to the evidence base, government policy and to consultation with communities. Clear buy-in from senior officers and strategic partners. Necessary capabilities, policies and projects clearly identified. Focus on multi-agency partnership working, including synergies with CDRPs. Broad range of activity.

5

Risk based and strategically focussed action plan clearly linked to the evidence base, government policy and to consultation with communities and local partner agencies. Seeks to mainstream the agenda, e.g. through youth services, alongside delivering focussed projects. Clear buy-in from senior officers and strategic partners. Necessary capabilities, policies and projects clearly identified. Focus on multi-agency partnership working, including synergies with CDRPs. Innovative approaches across a broad range of activities.

37


Strand D: Effective oversight, delivery and evaluation of projects and actions.

Score Description

1Loose and informal monitoring of projects, leading to haphazard delivery and frequent overruns and changes of scope. Evaluation is informal and haphazard.

2Clear plans for delivery and oversight. Some level of formal evaluation, but no clear mechanism for follow-up.

3Monitoring mechanisms in place with regular reviews to ensure delivery. Oversight group in place. Formal evaluation but which has no real effect on developing future projects and actions.

4

Proven monitoring mechanisms in place which help ensure regular delivery of projects within timescale, to the required standard and budget constraints. Oversight group with range of skills and representing appropriate range of interests. Formal evaluation using appropriate methodology which has some impact on the development of future projects.

5

Strong tried and tested monitoring mechanisms which allow highlighting and resolution of issues, track progress and ensure consistent delivery of projects and actions within timescale, to the required standard and budget constraints. Oversight group with appropriate skills and seniority in place and actively involved in monitoring. Professional and extensive evaluation of project against agreed objectives, which has real impact on development of future projects.

Appendix 2Terms of Reference for Understanding Redbridge Communities Forum

VISION: To work together to tackle extremism in Redbridge

MISSION: To work together with all relevant sections of the Partnership and Community to develop a joined up approach to tackling extremism.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the Forum is to;

a) Agree a common and joined up approach to deal with the issue of violent extremism;

b) Identify and bring together all relevant agencies/community members;

c) To fully implement the Tackling Violent Extremism Strategy;

d) To ensure that all sections of the action plan are being appropriately implemented;

e) To monitor progress of the action plan and NI 35.;

f) To ensure the commissioning and delivery of high quality services and projects to prevent violent extremism

in Redbridge; and

g) To develop structures to monitor the effective delivery of particular strands of work contained within the PVE

Action Plan.

38


39


Membership• Membership of the forum will be

representative of the whole of the Muslim

Community in Redbridge.

• Membership is by invitation and will extended

to those organisations who can demonstrate

that they represent others that need to be

engaged.

• Some groups may not be invited to attend

meetings but will remain engaged through

other means and may receive.

• Over representation of any one group will

need to be avoided. Attendees will be used as

gateways to the community not gatekeepers

• Voluntary/Community groups will be asked

to sign up to the principles of the strategy

and local delivery, they will be asked to show

a commitment to eradicate the threat of

extremism.

• Organisations who are unable to demonstrate

this commitment or show a genuine

commitment to working together may be

asked to terminate their membership.

• Membership will need to be limited in order

for the Forum to achieve its purpose.

• In year one 20 non-statutory bodies will be

invited to attend, we will use the profiling and

mapping exercise to ensure we are reaching

across the whole of the community.

• In addition to Community Members, statutory

agencies, as outlined in the Strategy will also

be invited to attend. They will have a role to

work to deliver on the outcomes of the action

plan and strategy. Statutory members will

include:

• Chief Officer Community Safety - Redbridge

Council - Chair

• Safer Communities Partnerships Manager -

Redbridge Council

• Preventing Extremism Project Officer -

Redbridge Council

• Borough Commander - Redbridge Police

• Chief Inspector Partnerships - Redbridge Police

• Inspector - Communities Together

Engagement Team - Metropolitan Police

• Chief Education Services to Pupils Officer -

Redbridge Council

• Youth Crime Prevention Services Manager -

Redbridge Council

This document sets out the Terms of Reference for URC Forum, and will cover:• Organisation of the Forum

• Membership of the Forum

• Functions of the groups

• Decision making and voting rights

• Rules of Engagement

40


• Corporate Equalities Manager - Redbridge

Council

• Preventing Violent Extremism Lead -

Government Office for London

• Due to the size of the meeting each

organisation or department can normally

only send one named representative, unless

specified otherwise. Each representative is

expected;

• To have signed the Tackling Extremism

Together Strategy;

• To have a named deputy who may attend in

their absence;

• Brief their deputy is appropriately briefed

when attending;

• To ensure that they are feeding all relevant

information in and out of the organisations

that they represent

The CDRP Board has agreed the Chair of the

Forum.

Structure of ForumThe Understanding Redbridge Communities

Forum will report directly to the Safer

Communities Partnership Board. Please see

structure chart.

Due to the nature and complexity of the agenda,

the Forum may choose to conduct business

within smaller working groups. The forum will

agree the nature, membership and terms of

reference of these groups. Some maybe formed

to produce one off time-limited pieces of work,

others may have a longer and larger remit. There

should be no more that four groups running at

any one time.

Commissioning and Funding Responsibilities There are elements of action plan that will lead to

certain activities/projects being commissioned.

All projects will be commissioned using council

standing orders. The forum maybe asked to advice

on the tender and appointment process. However

the Safer Communities Partnership will make

the final decision on which organisations will

undertake the work. These are key projects that

will lead to progress toward the NI 35.

There will be an allocated amount of money for

projects to be delivered to local people by local

organisations. All these projects will be aimed

at certain sections of the action plan and must

be in line with the overall strategy. Guidance on

the bidding process will be issued to the group.

The Forum will have a decision-making capacity

in terms of which bids to support within a set

framework. Only those who have not put in bids

will be invited to vote and attend the decision-

making meeting on these projects. This avoids

conflict of interest. All decisions will need to be

endorsed by Chair. We expect all Forum members

to support these projects once decisions have

been made.

All projects will be commissioned using council

standing order arrangements. Each will have a

robust service level agreement outlining aims and

objectives of projects, clear outcomes and delivery

plans. Any under performance issues will, in the

first instance, be picked up in the regular contract

monitoring meetings with the provider.

41


The group will receive regular progress reports

on projects. Any significant issues of under

performance will be bought back to the group.

The forum has the authority to withdraw funding

where appropriate.

Advisory Role of GroupAll members of the group are expected to offer

advice and guidance to all partners in terms of

delivery. This may include members attending

panels which are set up to vet the use of certain

individuals/groups/organisations for project

delivery.

Members are also expected to actively work with

sections of the community that they represent to

secure engagement with all appropriate projects.

There is recognition that there will be several

members who may not always agree on issues

outside of the meetings. Members are expected

to leave these issues outside of the meeting and

develop a joined up approach to this agenda.

Members also have an obligation to ensure that

all activates that they are aware of in this area

are fed into the action plan to avoid duplication

of valuable resources. Sharing of information

on individuals or organisations to avoid the

Partnership or projects engaging with sections of

the community.

Decision making Items being bought to the meeting will be clear

what they are seeking from the group. Items will

come for one of the following reasons:

• Discussion and Advice

• Discussion and Decision

• Information Only.

The Chair of the meeting will agree the purpose

of the items and ask the group to action

accordingly. The group will not be consulted

on on all decisions made on this area of work.

They will have no commissioning responsibilities

other than those funds allocated to projects. Any

decisions made by any group must be informed

by local knowledge, professional advice (where

appropriate) and best practice. Decisions must

be made by consensus and all parties must have

been given an opportunity to discuss the issue

before a decision can be made. Where the group

are unable to reach a consensus the Chair will

make the decision.

Administration and Frequency of MeetingsAll meetings will be minuted. Agendas and

minutes from previous meetings will be sent out

at least three days in advance. Members need to

give admin officer/project officer items at least

five days before meetings.

Initially meetings will take place on a six weekly

basis, this will be reviewed after a six-month

period. This six-month review will include a review

of attendance and membership. Meetings will

be held within neutral premises such as council

buildings. Meetings will last for two hours with

light refreshments and be held in the evening to

maximise Community attendance.

London Borough of Redbridge, PO BOX No.2, Town Hall, 128-142 High Road, Ilford, IG1 1DD

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