Nearly 2,000 children across the UK were referred to the deradicalisation programme over four years, new figures have shown.
Among them, six children from Wales aged 10 or younger have been signed up to the “Channel” scheme.
Since the deradicalisation programme was first set up in 2007 to steer people away from extremism, a total of 20 children from Wales have been referred to the scheme, according to a Freedom of Information request.
During the same period, 14 schoolchildren aged 11 to 15 were also referred to Wales’Counter Terrorism Unit .
Referrals rising every year
The figures come in the wake of the high profile case of Cardiff trio Aseel Muthana his brother Nasser and friend Reyaad Khan .
MORE: 'Young people don't feel they belong here': Five Muslims on their fears about extremism in Wales
In July 2014 the young men made national headlines after they joined Islamic State inSyria .
More on Jihadi Reyaad Khan
The latest figures on the Channel scheme show more than three quarters of referrals were made by educational institutions, and are increasing year-on-year.
Commenting on the statistics for Wales, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that the Channel scheme had placed teachers under “great pressure” since its inception following the July 7 London bombings .
“Keeping children safe is a central concern of teachers and the NUT, but we worry that current guidance, training and messages from Government are creating a climate of uncertainty for teachers and a fear of expressing themselves for many children,” she said.
“It is not surprising that a consequence of this is that some overzealous reporting will occur.”
'Lack of transparency'
Proportionally, the number of children referred from Wales is far fewer than the UK as a whole, where a total of 415 referrals have been made for children aged 10 or younger.
In total, figures disclosed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show that 1,839 children and teenagers under 15 were monitored and referred between January 2012 and December 2015.
Saleem Kidwai, chairman of the Muslim Council of Wales, said that while the Council was pleased that figures for Wales remained consistently low, “serious concerns” had been raised within the Islamic community about the “lack of transparency” surrounding the Channel programme.
“We work very closely with the Channel project, but I think it needs to be more transparent,” he said.
“We would like to see a community representative put in place, to help oversee the scheme, and to ensure that young people are not wrong labelled from a young age.
“Currently we cannot gauge whether it has been effective, and we don’t know how many children have been successfully deradicalised.
“I’m pleased to see that the figures for Wales are very low, but the key issue is effectiveness.
“It is imperative that a child is not labelled from an early age, as it could damage their future and their reputation in society for life.”
An NSPCC spokesman said: "While the number of Welsh children referred is of concern, it remains encouraging to see this scheme evolve. Radicalisation has become one of this century's most pressing child protection issues and spotting the signs of abuse has never been more important.
"This week the NSPCC stood alongside government ministers in London as a new initiative was launched to help protect children from extremists grooming them to be sympathetic to terrorism. Our mission is to keep children safe from harm and we will continue to address issues surrounding radicalisation."
The “Channel” programme, which is part of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, focuses on identifying people who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism and providing them with support to stop that from happening.
Those at risk of right-wing extremism can also be referred.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-children-aged-10-under-10773132
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