Mental health needs to be more of a priority, with targets for waiting times and more protection for funding, says England's chief medical officer. Dame Sally Davies said there were signs that funding was being cut at a time when the cost to the economy was rising. Her annual report said mental illness led to the loss of 70 million working days last year - up 24% since 2009. As well as calling for greater emphasis on mental illness in the NHS, she also said employers could play a role too. She recommended they allowed people with mental health problems the option of flexible working to keep them in employment and maintaining regular contact during sickness leave. Overall, mental illness costs the economy between £70bn and £100bn in lost productivity, benefit payments and absence from work. In terms of NHS spending, it accounts for 13% of the budget despite causing 28% of illness.

A softer approach to tackling bad behaviour in schools could help reduce the number of young people not in education, work or training (Neets), it has been claimed. The so-called ‘restorative approach’ encourages pupils to talk about why they misbehave instead of excluding them. This has resulted in a 91% drop in the number of exclusions at one Monmouth school. Teachers said it changes attitudes. The scheme, being trialled in a number of Welsh secondary schools, has also resulted in a reduction in crime in some areas. At Fitzalan High School in Cardiff the approach has resulted in a significant drop in the number of days lost to pupil exclusions - from 1,000 three years ago to 112 days this year. Teacher Jane Holland Lloyd said the initiative helped pupils feel more involved.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, joined faith leaders and representatives from faith-based NGOs last week for a vigil  showing solidarity with the people of Iraq and affirming the message that #WeAreAllHuman. Archbishop Welby joined Imam Ibrahim Mogra, Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner and Ayatollah Dr Sayed Fazel Milani at the vigil outside Westminster Abbey by the Innocent Victims Memorial. Speaking at the vigil, Archbishop Justin said he joined the other faith leaders in ‘unreservedly’ condemning the way that minority faith communities are being ‘wiped out’ in IS-controlled areas. ‘This must stop. We are all human,’ he said. ‘What we are seeing in Iraq violates brutally people’s right to freedom of religion and belief, as set out under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’ The vigil was jointly organised by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and World Jewish Relief in partnership with the Church of England, the Muslim Council of Britain and the Movement for Reform Judaism.

IPSO, the new Press regulator, begins work today with a commitment to be 'rigorous, independent, fair and transparent'. The Independent Press Standards Organisation, whose chairman is the retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Alan Moses, will oversee editorial standards for the majority of national and regional newspapers and magazines. It has far tougher rules than the previous regulator, the Press Complaints Commission. The watchdog will have the power to impose fines of up to £1million for serious and systemic wrongdoing and can require editors to publish up-front corrections. IPSO will also include a standards and compliance arm, with investigative powers to call editors to account. It will require all newspapers to have their own effective complaints-handling procedures. Sir Alan said: 'IPSO aims to help rebuild public trust in the Press through independent, fair and transparent regulation. Its role as an independent regulator is to provide support and redress for victims of Press abuse.

One in five child deaths could have been prevented, according to research published in the Lancet today. Around 5,000 infants, children and adolescents die prematurely in England and Wales every year, although the number is low relative to population size. The reports – published in three parts – stress many of these deaths were preventable. Researchers also found child death rates were higher in the north than in south of the country, tending to be higher in the Midlands and the North, and were closely linked to poverty. The president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Hilary Cass said: ‘This is a serious wake-up call for both healthcare professionals and policy makers and we have to act urgently.’ One study showed that between 2010 and 2011 as many as 20 per cent of deaths of children and teenagers aged 18 and under in England could have been avoided.

World Prayer Centre are holding a day of prayer in Birmingham 16 Sept  A national day of prayer and fasting will be held on September 17, 24 hours before Scots will go to the polls to vote on September 18. There will be 48 hours of prayer on 17 -19 September in Edinburgh, all are invited to join at 7. 14pm for flash mob prayer outside Scottish Parliament on 17. Or pray where you are during these times. See  Christians in Scotland are urging First Minister Alex Salmond and Better Together leader Alistair Darling to each visit a church ahead of the referendum for a short time of prayer. ‘Pray for Scotland’ offer some suggestions that you/your church may find helpful to pray at  Churches have also been encouraged to pray about independence on the previous Sunday. ‘God's guidance is required for the proper functioning of society, in fact, for 300 years the Church has given spiritual guidance without taking sides,’ said Fred Drummond, national director of Evangelical Alliance Scotland.

A vulnerable teenage boy, told he will never walk again after a bridge fall. He was trying to escape from bullies, say his family. Joshua Davies, 18, of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, broke his spine in four places in the fall.  South Wales Police said it has carried out ‘a thorough investigation’ into assault complaints. Joshua and his friend were walking by the river, when they realised some boys were following them. Joshua and his pal climbed on to the steel supports of the bridge to get away but the boys started throwing stones at them. The family claims the teenager has been bullied for the last five years, targeted because of his disability, which is a form of autism. Mr Morgan said: ‘Joshua has always had some kind of harassment or bullying in some shape or form, solely due to the fact that he is an easy target.’

The news that there are 'significant numbers' of Britons fighting for extremist Islamist groups abroad, one of whom is implicated in the murder of US journalist James Foley, has prompted calls for action against radical Islamism in the UK. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that the government was aware of 'significant numbers' of Britons fighting for Islamist organisations abroad. ‘That's one of the reasons why this organisation represents such a direct threat to the UK's national security. Many of these people may seek at some point to return to the UK and they would then pose a direct threat to our domestic security.’ Christians from across the political spectrum are calling for action regarding jihadism in the UK, from better border controls to sharing the love of the gospel.

Former Conservative Attorney General has suggested ‘an aggressive form of secularism’ in Britain is threatening to ‘sanitise’ the country of faith and exclude Christians from the public space. Dominic Grieve says he finds it extraordinary that Christians are being sacked or disciplined for expressing their beliefs in workplaces and public bodies and being forced to hide their beliefs. Describing Christianity as a ‘powerful force for good’ in modern Britain, Mr Grieve calls on public figures not to be afraid of ‘doing God’ and he believes politicians have a duty to explain how their beliefs inform their decisions.describes himself as a ‘practising Anglican’ and says Britain is ‘underpinned’ by Christian ethics and principles. However, during Mr Grieve's tenure as Attorney General, government lawyers submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that Christians should leave their religious beliefs at home or move to another job when faced with a clash between the requirements of their faith and their employment.