Hughes used her keynote speech to talk about the Government's hopes for the green paper and praise the role young people played in the consultation process.
She said "radical change" in the delivery of young people's services was needed for improvements to come about. "We need to lift our thinking away from how we have always done things to how we should be doing things now," she said. "Crucially, we must listen to what young people and families are telling us."
But it was Hughes' stance on the opportunity cards that proved the most controversial aspect of the day. Many youth sector organisations expressed major reservations in their green paper responses about the introduction of a potentially expensive card scheme. But the minister said the Government intends to persevere with the idea and was in discussions with 60 organisations, mostly local authorities, about running trials. "We've had strong support from young people on the issue of the opportunity card," she said. "Although I recognise that there are some worries about the proposal within the youth sector."
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