Life back on track after years when he found the pressures of daily life too difficult. He started struggling with his Mental Health aged 15 when stressed by exams. It led to a decade of moving in and out of hospitals. You are used to seeing the same things every day and then once you leave the units and you are going out into the real world, its like, whats going on . Sort of thing. Todays report says daily stresses like finding housing, paying bills and Cost Of Living pressures are tipping too many people into Mental Health crises. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. Shoes off or on . 0ff, please. But the flat that hayden is proudly showing me around has been organised by his Mental Health trust to try to head off the problems that might push him back to hospital. Bathrooms on the left. And well be sitting in the lounge, if thats all right. He can stay here as long as he wants. He also has support if needed. Very tidy and sorted. I cant stress enough, its the greatest support i could ever have. Itjust provides that platform for you to push on and become independent, become strong minded and itjust boosts you, gives you that boost to do what you want to do. His Mental Health trust also has schemes helping with debt and rough sleeping, aimed at preventing people reaching a crisis. It says it is keeping people out of hospital. Whats really important is whats going on in that persons life. If we can treat the person, which takes into account, you know, their social stresses, their accommodation status, their relationship status, all of these things, you know, we often get much better outcomes. Its Preventative Action that the 35 organisations calling for a long term Mental Health strategy say is vital. In england, they point to a 26 rise in people needing Mental Health support over four years, and in the last Year Services have seen 4. 8 million requests for help. The report says as well as improving those services, its essential to tackle poverty and other inequalities. If we do nothing, we will create more illness, more pressure on Mental Health services, more families will struggle, more people will have their lives affected by something which could be prevented. This is really good value for public money. Haydens parents, pat and simon, believe early support services, available whenever needed, would have made a huge difference when he was first struggling. If we won the lottery, wed put money in and make sure there was that out of hours so there could be people that could actually come out. So i think if we had the help and support out there, i dont think it would have been as many years as it took. And Seeing Hayden now settled and in a job has been a huge relief. Ive got my son, and i didnt lose him, when we could have been looking the other way. Hes living his life now. Hes doing the things he wants to do. Itsjust brilliant and you can see the difference in him from what he was before. Yeah, well go roughly around the same time. The government says it is moving further and faster to improve Mental Health services, investing more money and drawing up a strategy for the future. Alison holt, bbc news. Live now to rose mccabe, professor of clinical communication, City University of london. The report says between 2018 and 2022 in england, there was 26 rise in people asking for help with their Mental Health. Why might Early Intervention be difficult to implement . The report emphasises difficult to implement . The report emphasises early difficult to implement . The report emphasises Early Intervention difficult to implement . The report emphasises Early Intervention and you heard the story there of haydn and his family about how his difficulties emerged when he was a younger person. In fact, most Mental Health difficulties and edge three quarters by the age of 2a and half by the age of 14. If we look at Early Intervention and getting the right support for people, we are looking at preventing Mental Health getting worse, people getting into debt, other problems like homelessness, losing their friendships, losing their social support. Thats why Early Intervention is so important. Allisons report mentions the Cost Of Living crisis as being something thatis of living crisis as being something that is a current stress exacerbating Mental Health issues at the moment. I wonder what else you might say about things like social media use, but are causing Mental Health problems for younger people or even just a Health Problems for younger people or evenjust a pandemic Health Problems for younger people or even just a pandemic weve gone through. Or even just a pandemic weve gone throu~h. ,. ,. ,. , through. You mentioned all of those thins through. You mentioned all of those things which through. You mentioned all of those things which are through. You mentioned all of those things which are important. Through. You mentioned all of those things which are important. For through. You mentioned all of those l things which are important. For some people social media isnt good for Mental Health but for some people it has a protective effect. Its very individual and also you mentioned the pandemic. We know there are about 1. 7 million children absent from school, you just mentioned the schools crisis earlier. We know theres a big issue in terms of the Mental Health difficulties for young people returning to school, anxiety returning to school and also difficulties for young people who have autism, adhd or dyslexia and how school can be very difficult for them, so returning into that structure support. Them, so returning into that structure support. Them, so returning into that structure suort. ,. ,. , structure support. You brought up a aood structure support. You brought up a good point. Structure support. You brought up a good point. And structure support. You brought up a good point, and well structure support. You brought up a good point, and well be structure support. You brought up a good point, and well be talking good point, and well be talking about School Absences in a few minutes. I wonder if we just go back to the idea of Early Intervention and a really practical terms, what would it look like for an authority to be able to offer Early Intervention for anyone who really needsit . Intervention for anyone who really needs it . � ,. ,. , intervention for anyone who really needs it . � ,. ,. , needs it . Thats a great question. What we know needs it . Thats a great question. What we know is needs it . Thats a great question. What we know is that needs it . Thats a great question. What we know is that the needs it . Thats a great question. What we know is that the number| needs it . Thats a great question. I what we know is that the number of referrals to a child and adolescent Mental Health services have increased exponentially since the pandemic and that people are waiting a long time to see Mental Health services. So, we need those Waiting Lists to come down, we need people to be accessing support much earlier, we need support for parents as well because they are managing and supporting young people. So, we need to reduce Waiting Lists, improve the offer of treatment options, extend those to include a wider range of options for young people and we need also out of hours care. So, we need Crisis Options like hayden and his family mentioned, we dontjust need services and working hours, we need weekends, evenings and families and friends are dealing with those crises. We need round the clock, early access and to reduce the waiting times. Early access and to reduce the waiting times. Lots of practical suggestions. Waiting times. Lots of practical suggestions, thank waiting times. Lots of practical suggestions, thank you. Waiting times. Lots of practical suggestions, thank you. Letsl waiting times. Lots of practical suggestions, thank you. Lets move on to the issue of School Absences. Theres a warning that the number of children missing school in england is now at Crisis Levels and it needs to be tackled with bigger, bolder national measures. A report by a Cross Party Committee of mps found twice as many pupils have been missing a significant amount of school compared to before the pandemic. 0ur Education editor Branwen Jeffreys reports. Its just when parents are in crisis, really, when they call to say theyre having a bad day. Hayley works with parents who are struggling. Shell even pick up their children. Parents are always really grateful for the support, eventually. Sometimes it takes a little while to build up that positive relationship with them. So she goes out around folkestone in the school minibus. It can take many visits to build up that trust. Roxy, yesterday, done pe, i was like, what did you do . She went, oh, it was really good, i done tennis. She really enjoyed it. Kelsey is one of the mums thats turned things around. She was evicted with her two kids, their new flat was two bus rides away, and, struggling with depression, kelsey couldnt always get them to school. It was hard it was mentally draining, physically draining, you just feel like you dont want to get out of bed, you feel really depressed. You keep going, you feel like youre not good enough, you feel like youre not good enough for your children, that you cant do it, but. I felt quite deflated actually. But, yeah, it was hard. How much difference did it make, when you were at your lowest, that the school would come and help pick up the kids . Massive, massive difference. I changed in myself. It gave me more spirit. It helped amazingly big change. Just from doing that one little thing, by accepting the help that thought id feel embarrassed about. Right, youve got everything you need . Water bottles . Kelsey� s now settled in her new home. The children have been moved to a school in the same Academy Group thats much closer, so theyre going in every day. The bus pick ups are less frequent, a helping hand from time to time. What questions do you think that ahmet might have . Schools connect children with learning and their friends but, across england, almost twice as many children have regularly missed school. In primary school, its as much about the challenges that families face. The last few years have left more parents struggling with their Mental Health, with money, and often with poor housing. Weve had a lot of families finding themselves in a situation where theyre either going to be evicted or theyve been placed in temporary accommodation. And temporary accommodation around here isnt. You know, its not sometimes suitable for bringing up a child, making lunchboxes. A bedroom with a sink, sometimes they dont even have bathrooms, their toilet� s down the corridor. Across this group of schools, its the teenagers theyre worried about. They told me theyre increasing support as more families struggle. If youre living in rat infested accommodation, that you are struggling to sleep, youre sharing your room with siblings, youre not able to do homework, you are hungry, you are walking rather than taking the bus to school, all those are what i describe as headwinds for those poorest children to come to school. And it is getting worse. So what does work to stop kids missing school . Here, theyve found its intensive support for families when its most needed. Accept the help, please. Its not embarrassing. Theyre there to help. And if you need it, please accept it. Because its done me and my children a hell of a good, so it will you. That was mother of two kelsey, ending that report by our Education Editor bra nwen jeffreys. Lets speak to seamus murphy, the trust principal and ceo of turner schools, which have several primary and secondary schools across folkestone. Seamus was just in the report we saw. Schools in your region have a higher absence rate than the national average. Higher absence rate than the nationalaverage. From higher absence rate than the national average. From your experience, why is it such a problem . I experience, why is it such a problem . Experience, why is it such a roblem . ~ � , problem . Ithink its complex. I think it was problem . Ithink its complex. I think it was alluded problem . Ithink its complex. I think it was alluded to problem . Ithink its complex. I think it was alluded to in problem . Ithink its complex. I think it was alluded to in the. Think it was alluded to in the report by the education correspondent. I think its different at different stages but i think poverty is a key factor. I trust and our schools serve some of the most deprived communities on the south coast. We know that families are battling a range of challenges and we know that there is the Cost Of Living crisis and some of the other things he referred to in an earlier report, Mental Health issues are striking these families probably in greater numbers than in more affluent families. I think the other thing thats worth saying is i think following the pandemic, the social contract which exists between parents and schools has is not broken, has become much more fozzy at the edges. So, i can talk anecdotally about parents who are more likely now to keep children at home if theyve got a cold or they are less worried about the king dentist or doctors appointments during school hours and in many cases those parents who might be thinking in the past of taking a child out on friday to visit relatives, thats increasingly more the case. Its complex, theres a range of factors but we are definitely looking at potentially a lost generation because children who are not attending school do less well. It is very straightforward. It might seem a bit simplistic but why is it so important for children, teenagers, to be attending school on a very regular basis . The teenagers, to be attending school on a very regular basis . A very regular basis . The studies, almost universally, a very regular basis . The studies, almost universally, and a very regular basis . The studies, almost universally, and im a very regular basis . The studies, almost universally, and im not, l almost universally, and im not, ive not read every study but the most recent ones ive read particularly produced by data lab and other organisations, show a clear link between pupils who attend well and who attain well. In our own experience across three secondaries suite done our own analysis and those children attending 95 of the time will achieve what we think they will. Those children attending less well, persistently absent, underachieving and i think thats the case Forfamilies Underachieving and i think thats the case for families where, with the case for families where, with the greatest respect, they are not particularly worried about, they got many other things to worry about than necessarily revision or doing homework. Than necessarily revision or doing homework than necessarily revision or doing homework. ~. ,. ,. , homework. What about the threat of fines . Homework. What about the threat of fines . I homework. What about the threat of fines . I know homework. What about the threat of fines . I know that homework. What about the threat of fines . I know that something homework. What about the threat of fines . I know that something thatsl fines . I know that something thats been used in the past, School Authorities have fined parents who havent been getting their children to school regularly. Do they work . In our context, no and im not an expert on the Fining System but i can talk passionately about finding in the communities that we serve. First, i can give you anecdotal evidence of parents turning up and saying, im taking my child out of school next week, i know youll find me £60, who do i pay . Theyve done a Cost Benefit Analysis and worked out that taking a child on holiday in mid january or during term time, its much cheaper even if you have to pay the fine. 0n the other hand, the parents and families we are finding most often, these families are genuinely in crisis and their ability to repay the fine is pretty limited. And secondly, the administration of fines and process. On the attendance staff, who are 0n the attendance staff, who are working hard to get those families into school and what it also does which i think is the most pernicious element, as it drives a wedge between the support we are trying to provide these families and getting their children in and themselves, because they then see us as authoritarian and punishing them. Whereas what we really trying to do is to get back into school. We are in a a very challenging period. Thank you, seamus murphy. Lets bring you some breaking news a 15 Year Old Girl was stabbed to death in croydon, south london, on wednesday morning, the metropolitan police said. A London AmbulanceService Spokesperson said we were called today at 8 33am to reports of an incident on wellesley road, croydon. We sent a number of resources to the scene, including three ambulance crews, a