Frontline staff at Renfrewshire Council have been given fresh guidance on how to respond if they're worried someone might be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.

The simplified approach, introduced by the UK Government at the end of August as part of its Prevent programme, is built around three steps: Notice, Check, Share.

Who it's for

The guidance is aimed at council roles that regularly work with people in the community, including children's services, housing officers, social work, antisocial behaviour investigators and conflict resolution officers, environmental and regulatory services, and the connected communities teams.

How it works

Staff are encouraged to stay alert to behaviour that could suggest someone is at risk of radicalisation, to check the context and gather relevant information before drawing any conclusions, and, where concerns remain, to share them through the proper channels.

The guidance was discussed at a meeting of the council's communities and housing policy board on Tuesday.

Concern over social media

SNP depute council leader Jacqueline Cameron, councillor for Johnstone South and Elderslie, said: “It’s really sad to see that it’s vulnerable people who are being targeted.” She compared it to county lines drug gangs preying on the vulnerable, and said she had often seen people with learning disabilities targeted when she worked in advocacy.

Cllr Cameron also raised the rise of extremist views on social media, asking whether the big platforms would ever be involved in Prevent or alert the authorities.

Gwyneth Heaney, the council's senior manager for climate and public protection, said it was an emerging issue that had been discussed at regional level and with the Home Office, with talks going on at a higher level with social media companies.

“What we would encourage – anybody that has any concerns, if they do see something on social media, we would always encourage them to do a referral anyway and that way the investigation can take place,” she said.

If you're worried someone is being drawn into extremism, you can get advice through Police Scotland on 101. In an emergency, always call 999.