Charity aims to warn parents

Posters in Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, and Somali will appear in GP surgeries in Luton to raise awareness of an NSPCC helpline for parents worried about terrorism and radicalisation.

The charity’s posters, which will also be written in English and Welsh, will appear in waiting rooms to let people know about the service set up after a spate of terrorist attacks and the growing problem of extremists targeting children.

In Luton 42 surgeries will be displaying the posters.

The NSPCC started receiving calls from adults worried about the problem, which prompted the children’s charity to offer advice and help.

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The NSPCC service will provide a national point of support to parents concerned their children are being radicalised, or who need advice on how to talk to them about wider concerns related to the impact of terrorism.

Its counsellors have been trained to spot the warning signs of radicalisation so they can advise adults who are worried about a child being groomed.

Part of the training, which detailed how recruiters befriend vulnerable targets, feed them ideologies and –in the worst case scenario - persuade them to commit terrorist attacks, was provided by Home Office experts.

Adults calling the helpline will be advised about the signs which may hint at a child being radicalised.

These include:

>Isolating themselves from family and friends

> Talking as if from a scripted speech

>Increased levels of anger

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>Becoming disrespectful and asking inappropriate questions

Colin Peak, NSPCC’s Regional Head of Service for the East of England said:  “It is vital that we are here for parents when they need our support and are able to provide them with non-judgemental advice on issues ranging from the wider terrorist threat to the dangers of radicalisation.

“We have circulated posters around the country to try and reach as many parents as possible.”

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