A project to stop terrorism and violent extremism spreading among young people in the Kensington and Chelsea  has been given a £150,000 cash boost.

The Royal Borough will put the money towards educating around 100 vulnerable young people about the dangers of extremism, offering courses for their parents, and preventing terrorism and helping its victims.

A worker will also be appointed specifically to tackle high-risk cases, at a cost of £38,000.

The pilot scheme, which is due to runover the next 18 months, aims to find out why young people follow certain beliefs, to stop them feeling excluded from mainstream society and to dispel myths about people from different religions or ethnic groups.

The project will centre on helping young people looked after by the borough's Youth Offending Teams, who have been in trouble with the law and may be vulnerable to the messages of extremists.

Other targets include communities that could find it hard to challenge and resist extremists, and radical leaders, who may try to justify terrorism by manipulating theology, history and politics, and who aim to publicise their messages through the media.

On Friday, Kensington and Chelsea Council's cabinet member for family and children's services, deputy mayor Cllr Shireen Ritchie, agreed to accept the funding, which comes from the Government's Youth Justice Board.

This followed consultations with Islamic groups, crime charity Victim Support, the police and other voluntary groups in the Royal Borough.

Cllr Ritchie wrote in a report: "This will better equip vulnerable young clients to make informed decisions relating to violent extremism."

The council's director for family services Libby Blake added: "Nationally the threat level from violent extremism is high.

"Muslim communities largely remain the target for those who seek to radicalise young people, although other vulnerable individuals have also been targeted.

"The internet can be used to disseminate ideas widely, but contacts can also be made through one-to-one relationships, built through local communities."