IN the wake of the recent closure of Cowling Youth Club, North Yorkshire County Council has explained how it is establishing a ground-breaking initiative aimed at preventing risky behaviour.

"What's needed is one to one support for young people referred into the service," said Paul Carswell, principle officer for the North Yorkshire County Council Youth Support Service. "We want to focus on doing targeted early interventions to prevent problems.

"There will not be as much open access youth work," he said. "We'll no longer be offering the two-and-a-half and five-hour contracts to run clubs.

"What's needed is more substantive posts," he added. "We want professional people located in teams around the county, including an office in Skipton. Some work crosses over, so there is a benefit to establishing a single 0-19 youth support service.

"We still value youth work, but we recognise as an organisation that we can't do everything."

"We've been preparing for this for a period of time," said Lynne Hollings, a youth worker who had been at the Cowling Youth Club for more than 30 years. "Cowling is an area that needs some sort of targeted activity. Those that did go to the club did value it."

Mr Carswell did say that as part of the changes, the county council will commission more work through North Yorkshire Youth, who are taking on 30 new localities for a transitional period to deliver youth work, with either council staff or volunteers.