Brasenose College: Policy on implementing the Prevent duty

1. The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 creates a statutory duty for specified public authorities to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. Prevent is one of four strands of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
2. The general approach of College constitutes a balance between implementation of the Prevent duty and recognising the fundamental importance of freedom of speech which is also enshrined in legislation. Free expression is of foundational importance to intellectual inquiry and therefore to the central purpose of a university, which cannot properly function in its absence. The obligation created by the Prevent duty is to have ‘due regard’ to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. ‘Due regard’ does not require that the Prevent duty be implemented in such a way that it overrides those existing rights without which the collegiate University could not function as a place of higher learning. These existing rights include the rights to free expression, academic freedom, autonomy, confidentiality, privacy and equal treatment under the law and it is vital that the collegiate University continues to assert the importance of these rights.

3. Pastoral care and support of students at Brasenose is made available by the College Welfare team. This team includes five College officers, who sit on the College’s Governing Body: the Dean, the Senior Tutor, the Tutor for Graduates, the College Equality and Diversity Officer, and the Chaplain. Further members of the Welfare Team include the Domestic Bursar, College Nurse, Junior Deans, Welfare Representatives of the Junior and Hulme Common Rooms, the College Peer Supporters and the JCR Women’s Officer. Oversight of the College’s welfare provision is delegated by the Governing Body to the College Welfare Committee, which meets once each term, and whose remit is reviewed and agreed in the first meeting of each academic year. Signposting to university chaplaincy provision for students of non-Christian religion is managed by the Chaplain, under the oversight of the Welfare Committee. 

4. Organisers of a college event who invite speakers must abide by the College’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech, within the College By Laws (see: https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about- brasenose/official-information), and ensure that the event and the invited speakers comply with that Code. Any concerns about security risks or risks that views expressed might be illegal must be reported to the Domestic Bursar or Dean.

5. For events organized by students the names and affiliations of any speakers from outside the collegiate University must be included within the online booking system. These events require the approval of the Domestic Bursar or Dean.

6. Events and activities organised by other organisations within the College facilities are managed by Domestic Bursar and Conference end Events Manger, who will be responsible for reporting to Dean or Bursar any concerns about security risks, views expressed that might be illegal, or individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism. 

The use of chapel is managed by the Chaplain, who is a Governing Body fellow. S/he exercises this duty under the oversight of the College Principal and Chapel and Music Committee, which deals with any policy issues which may arise in relation to the use of the chapel. In the management of chapel, the College exercises the same regard to the freedom of speech as governed by the College statutes, By Laws and policies, holding this in balance with the status of the College chapel as a consecrated space and the requirements of other legislation including the PREVENT strategy. 

8. College provides Prevent training, as appropriate, for College Officers, College staff, Senior and Junior members. 

9. The College has clear IT usage policies in place, and includes reference to University policies which are adapted to reference the Prevent duty. 

10. The Prevent duty is explicitly recognised in the College’s risk register and College will comply with reporting requirements. 

1. If you have concerns a student or member of College staff are being drawn into terrorism you should contact the Bursar, Dean, Domestic Bursar or Chaplain. If those concerns might need to be reported to other authorities, the Dean or Bursar will discuss the case with the Registrar. The Bursar is the PREVENT lead for the College. 
2. If you have concerns that students from other colleges or members of staff in the University or other colleges are being drawn into terrorism, you should contact the contacts indicated on the University website at: https://www1.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/prevent/contacts/ 

Philip Parker
Bursar 

Approved by Governing Body, 10 Nov 2021