Phase 2: Person-centred approach to radicalisation (PGA)

Objective and description

When the criteria listed in the PGA Act apply to an individual, the assessment team may decide to include that person in the person-centred approach (PGA). The municipality is responsible for supervising the PGA. Part of the PGA process involves a discussion of an individual in a multidisciplinary case consultation, during which the chain partners involved coordinate the shared insights and the specific approach.

Objective

The objective of the PGA is to combat radicalisation and prevent (violent) extremism and terrorism through the joint effort of local chain partners. A PGA is an integrated mix of administrative, criminal law, care and other interventions tailored to the person or their immediate environment. The PGA involves cooperation between organisations involved in governance (such as the municipality involved), criminal justice (such as police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM)) and healthcare (such as mental health partners).

Description

The PGA process to combat radicalisation consists of basically four phases: (1) reporting, (2) assessment, (3) case consultation and (4) monitoring and closing.

1. Reporting

In daily practice municipalities, police and the Public Prosecution Service receive indicators of (possible) radicalisation in a variety of ways. The usual way is through local partners in the social, care, education and/or security domains, sometimes from concerned members of the public such as friends and relatives, or from certain departments within municipalities.

Many municipalities have set up a ‘radicalisation hotline' or reporting structure to process the indicators received. These hotlines are not to be confused with other hotlines such as 'Crimestoppers NL' hotline operated by the National Police. The aim is not to investigate crimes but to provide help, coordinate information and follow-up actions, support professionals and combat radicalisation. If a radicalisation hotline does not already exist, a municipality must make arrangements to ensure that such indicators reach the right person and agencies.

2. Assessment

The organisation to which radicalisation indicators have been reported will submit the report to the municipality for it to be placed on the agenda of the assessment team which will then assess whether the person in question should be included in the PGA process. The assessment team consists of representatives of the relevant municipality (Public Order and Safety (OOV)) (the municipality in which the person resides, or last resided), the police and the Public Prosecution Service and determines which organisations are to be invited to participate in the case consultation (Article 3 of the PGA Act). These are only participants who actually fulfil a role and have an interest in the case in view of their respective duties and powers. Any municipality can convene an assessment team consultation to discuss a report of radicalisation.

The assessment is performed on the basis of objective criteria, including (1) the extent to which the person concerned is willing to use or propagate violence, (2) the extent to which the person concerned holds extremist views, (3) the person's social relationships, (4) the degree of identification with an extremist group or ideology, and (5) self-reliance (Article 5.3 of the PGA Act). In the context of the assessment, the three organisations referred to may consult other professionals such as interpretation experts. The assessment team also decides on whether a case should be closed (phase 4).

When the assessment team decides to initiate the PGA process, the municipality will notify the person concerned within a month, although exceptions are possible by which notification can be delayed (see Article 11 of the PGA Act). A local contact point, such as a participating government agency or body (Order in Council (AMvB), Article 4 of the PGA Act), is created in connection with the duty to inform and the exercising of rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If a case is not included in the approach, the party that reported the signals of radicalisation may be informed.

3. Case Consultation

Once the assessment team has decided to include a person in the PGA, the municipality organises a case meeting with relevant partners (often through the Community Safety Partnership) during which the case is periodically discussed.

A person-centred, integrated approach like this is needed because no standard approach is possible with regard to people who become radicalised or have been radicalised. Science and practical experience have shown that no single profile exists of an 'extremist' or 'terrorist’ and that means careful consideration is required of the underlying causes of risky behaviour in each case. Based on the resulting insights, an assessment then has to be made of the most appropriate approach and interventions for each case. That is why it is called the person-centred approach in that it is tailor-made and requires close cooperation between different agencies and disciplines. Each organisation considers, either in consultation with the data protection officer or otherwise, which (special) personal data can be shared.

Action can be taken in all areas of life (housing, work, social network, etc.) and interventions can be both preventive and repressive in nature. Interventions might include a pathway towards work, probation supervision or the use of cease-and-desist conversations with the person of concern. An intervention matrix that provides insight into a wide range of possible interventions is currently being developed by the municipality of The Hague.

Regular case consultation participants are:

• the municipality, the security department and the Community Safety Partnership;
• the Public Prosecution Service;
• the Police;
• the Child Protection Board (in the case of a minor/a person with children);
• the Dutch Probation Service (in case of person in/already out of detention);

Occasional case consultation participants (non-exhaustive) are:

• municipal services;
  • the social domain;
  • Social Support Act (Wmo);
  • the education sector/school attendance officer;
• National Extremism Support Centre (including the National Immigration Intervention Team)
• the mental health (GGZ) and intellectual disability (VG) sectors;
• a theologian;
• a youth worker;
• a youth protection officer;
• Veilig Thuis (the domestic violence and child abused advice and reporting centre ‘Safe at Home’);
• the Police; core team, the Intelligence and Security Services Act Intelligence Department (Inlichtingendienst Wet op de Inlichtingen- en VeiligheidsdienstenService (Inlichtingendienst Wet op de Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdiensten (ID-WIV)), the Threat Management Team;
• the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV);
• organisations within the immigration system (Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), Repatriation and Departure Service (DT&V));
• the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar);

A detailed description of the partners that may play a role in case consultation can be found here.

4. Monitoring and closing

The partners involved periodically assess the use and progress of the person-centred action plan. When doing so they also assess whether it is appropriate to close the case. In the absence of new indicators, the assessment team may decide to close the case, for example if the interventions used prove to be effective and further discussion is no longer necessary, or if the PGA turns out to be inadequate (and there are no more possibilities for intervention). The case consultation participants submit the proposal to monitor or close the case to the assessment team for a decision to be taken (phase B). If the assessment team agrees, access to the personal data will be terminated and, if necessary, the personal data itself will be anonymised. Numerous municipalities send the individual concerned a concluding letter explaining that the PGA has been terminated. A case can, of course, always be resubmitted (phase A).

Knowledge and skills

In addition to the required basic knowledge of radicalisation, the assessment team may decide to engage an expert (occasionally) in the case consultation. In the case of religious radicalisation, for example, a theologian can be consulted or, in the case of psychosocial problems, a mental health psychologist.

Finally, knowledge of the powers and legal frameworks is also essential.

Within the multidisciplinary case consultation

Case consultation involves skills to direct or contribute to an effective PGA. This includes a focus on how to identify radicalisation, how to assess, analyse and interpret, and how to work methodically.

Network

Besides the network used in the preventive approach, the organisations involved can build a network within the framework of the PGA. Doing so ensures that indicators are recognised and discussed faster and earlier, that mutual cooperation improves and that necessary interventions can be targeted more effectively.

In order to get the aforementioned knowledge to the right front-line professionals, it is essential that municipalities, as the parties responsible for supervising the local approach, build strong networks with relevant professionals in their area. In addition to the partners in the case consultation, these also include other professionals who can play a role in identifying radicalisation, so that they can recognise indicators and know how and where to share them. A broad network – consisting of organisations that do not face radicalisation on a daily basis – is helpful and may include front-line professionals, housing associations, bailiffs, (sports) clubs and large companies (such as distribution centres).

It is important to pay attention to data sharing.

Interventions

Various interventions are made within the framework of the PGA which are intended to strengthen protective factors and mitigate risk factors which are implemented by the social and care domain or partners from the security domain. Interventions in this phase usually focus on the following aspects of a radicalised person, as elaborated in the Radicalisation and Extremism Case Consultation Working Model.

Case consultation:

• Willingness to take action and willingness to use violence.
• Social network.
• Ideology.
• Identity formation.
• Self-reliance.
• Practical matters (housing, identity papers and finances).

It is very important that there is coordination between parties in the multidisciplinary case consultation regarding the interventions which are targeted at an individual so that interventions do not counteract each other, but actually complement each other instead.

Examples of preventive interventions/activities by the social and care domain

• Family and network support.
• Family counselling.
• Coaching from youth work.
• Theological/ideological guidance.
• Social-emotional skills.
• Practical support with housing, work or debts.
• Voluntary care in consultation with the person concerned (for example talks with a practitioner or admission to a mental health institution).
• Active intervention (this can include help with social problems, such as debts).
• Care authorisation, crisis measure.
• Registration with the Community Safety Partnership for the life-course strategy.

• Care measures through the Compulsory Mental Health Care Act (Wvggz).
• Coordinated approach in case of multiple problems via the bill addressing multiple problems in the social domain (Wams).

Examples of repressive interventions by the municipality or security domain

Security measures can be used within the various areas of law (administrative and criminal). This guide elaborates on the measures from criminal and administrative law which are specific for CTER (counterterrorism, extremism and radicalisation). With regard to the options which are not specific for CTER (e.g. a restraining order under Article 172A of the Municipalities Act (Gemeentewet)), we strongly recommend contacting the legal advisor at the municipality.

Administrative measures

The Ministry of Justice and Security can use various administrative measures to protect the Netherlands from terrorism and/or extremism which affect a case in the local PGA.

The coordination of these measures can be part of the discussion in the local case consultations. Municipalities can invite the NCTV's local advisor to the case consultation provide advice on the measures referred to below.

Read more

• Phase 1: Prevention
• Phase 3: Detention and reintegration