Joint working - Hughes bows out in glow of praise

Shock. That was the reaction from children's and youth professionals to the news last week that Beverley Hughes was to stand down as children's minister for family reasons. During her four years in the role she brought stability and unrivalled policy expertise.

Tributes to Hughes have been heartfelt and numerous (see box, below), with professionals seeing the minister as "one of them". Her experience as a probation officer in the 1970s and head of Manchester University's social work department in 1994 has helped.

In an interview with CYP Now's predecessor magazine Children Now in July 2005 she said her background had shaped her approach to children's services in general. "It's given me a real understanding that it matters what happens in terms of the quality of interaction between the child and the early years worker, youth worker or teacher. The quality of what goes on really makes a difference to outcomes," she said.

It is this belief in the need for quality staff that led her to place a strong emphasis on the Children's Workforce Development Council and workforce reforms. It is Hughes who has been the driving force behind greater integrated working in youth settings, for example.

A crusade

Shortly after becoming children's minister, Hughes confessed she saw her role as "no less than a crusade". And over the past four years, Hughes has driven through a long list of policy reforms (see timeline below for highlights).

Fiona Blacke, chief executive of The National Youth Agency, believes Aiming High for Young People, the 10-year strategy, is Hughes's greatest legacy, particularly the empowerment strands. "They're placing young people at the centre of decision-making," she says.

Brian Lamb, chair of the Special Educational Consortium, highlights Hughes's role in driving through the Every Child Matters agenda as her biggest achievement.

Hilton Dawson, ex-Labour MP and chair of the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners, praises Hughes's "assiduous attention to detail". "No other minister would have given that level of attention to a particular project," he adds.

In her resignation letter to Gordon Brown, Hughes cited Sure Start, new services for families of children under five and a positive approach to provision for teenagers as some recent examples of services that are transforming the lives of children, young people and their families.

Time will tell whether the new children's minister matches up to Beverley Hughes.

- Additional reporting by Lauren Higgs, Janaki Mahadevan and Neil Puffett.

Tributes from the Sector

"It will be a blow for the children's sector. She has been a powerful advocate for Every Child Matters and has won the respect of people from all corners of the sector." - Paul Ennals, chief executive, National Children's Bureau

"She has brought stability to the department, which is what you need. There is too much churn in ministers." - Barry Sheerman, chair, Children, Schools and Families Select Committee

"Beverley Hughes's commitment to child-centred and joined-up services have been invaluable in driving improvements in children's services." - Kim Bromley-Derry, president, Association of Directors of Children's Services

"Hughes has been a tireless champion of high quality early childhood education and care." - Alison Garnham, joint chief executive, Daycare Trust

"She has been challenging the sector, to make sure we do the best we can." - John Freeman, director, React programme at the Local Government Association

More tributes and Hughes's resignation letter can be seen on cypnow.co.uk/hughesresigns

TIMELINE

Beverley Hughes introduced a number of major policies - here are some highlights

May 2005: Replaces Margaret Hodge as children's minister

July 2005: Green paper Youth Matters is launched

April 2006: Youth opportunity and youth capital funds launched with a combined budget of £115m over two years

May 2006: Put in charge of developing the Care Matters green paper to transform outcomes for children in care

July 2006: Childcare Act 2006 becomes law

Nov 2006: Announces plans for a National Academy for Parenting Practitioners

June 2007: Given power to sit in on some Cabinet meetings by incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown

December 2007: Allocates £420m fund to provide positive activities for young people

February 2008: Says more work to do, despite figures showing that teen pregnancy rates are the lowest for more than 20 years

March 2008: Youth Taskforce Action Plan to tackle antisocial behaviour includes 20 intensive intervention projects for young people

April 2008: £62m Myplace fund to transform youth facilities announced. In March 2009, a further £180m was handed out in the scheme

July 2008: Announces extension of free childcare to 20,000 two-year-olds

April 2009: Writes to all directors of children's services, urging them to improve Friday and Saturday night youth provision

May 2009: 3,000th children's centre opens

June 2009: Stuns the sector by resigning as children's minister and announcing she will quit as an MP at the next election.