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.
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