Role Terms
Salary: Band D £27,582 - £30,581 per annum (Full-Time Equivalent, 37.5 hours per week). Actual salary will be £11,033– £14,679 per annum pro rata depending on hours.
Hours: 15 to 18 hours per week, to include evenings and weekend.
Role type: Fixed-term – 18 months.
Place of work: No Limits Advice Centre, Southampton and community locations across Southampton.
Role Screening: DBS – Enhanced with Barred Lists.
Essential Driver? Yes – DASH is a community-based project of use of a vehicle for work is essential.
Closing Date: 9am - Friday 27th March 2026.
Interview Date: 7th or 9th April 2026.
CVs AND EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE USE THE LINKS BELOW FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTION AND TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FOR THIS ROLE
✨We're looking for an experienced and motivated Community Detached and Mentoring Youth Worker to join our Drug and Alcohol Support Hub (DASH) team in Southampton✨
Our Charity
No Limits is the leading youth services charity in Southampton, supporting children and young people in the city and across Hampshire.
At No Limits, it is important our staff and volunteers reflect, represent, and have experience of the challenges faced by the children and young people we support. We are proud of and appreciate our many staff and volunteers who use their own lived experience to support the children and young people they work with.
With this in mind, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of our work and organisational culture – and when recruiting, it’s important to us that we continue diversifying our staff and volunteer teams, with children and young people at the centre of everything we do. You can learn more about our DEI approach here.
When we talk about talent, we value the transferrable skills and experiences you can bring to No Limits, whether through work (in the same or a different sector), volunteering, or personal experiences. To make sure we get the best talent on our team, we are open to and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and sections of the community, including diverse ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse individuals.
Your Role
This role is an exciting opportunity to engage young people who need support around their substance use. The role holder will be part of the DASH (Drug and Alcohol Support Hub) team where you will provide detached youth work in priority locations across Southampton, engaging young people in their own environments, building trusted relationships, and offering harm‑reduction advice and diversionary support.
The role will primarily focus on outreach/detached youth work, with the option to hold a very small caseload for short-term, structured mentoring where appropriate.
Your key responsibilities will include:
* Detached Youth Work
* Deliver regular detached / outreach sessions as part of a team of youth workers
* Engage young people in community spaces in a friendly, non‑judgemental way
* Build trusted, consistent relationships with young people, especially those who may be disengaged from mainstream services
* Provide accessible information and advice on a range of issues including drugs, alcohol, mental health, sexual health, relationships, exploitation, housing and money
* Offer diversionary activities and encourage positive behaviours
* Establish consistent routes / times in community locations so young people can find and engage with the team
* Contribute to Southampton’s contextual safeguarding approach by developing local knowledge and reporting risks
* Maintain positive links with partner agencies and community venues where young people gather
* Mentoring
* Hold a very small caseload where appropriate, providing short-term mentoring
* Support young people to build resilience, confidence and positive coping skills
* Help identify simple, achievable goals and celebrate progress
* Signpost and refer to specialist No Limits services or external partners as needed
For more information, please see the job description at the top of the page
We are committed to making a difference in the lives of the children and young people we work with, and as such, you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the No Limits ethos. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people is paramount.
We particularly welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and those who have had experiences similar to the young people we aim to support. We are committed to creating a diverse environment where people can be their authentic selves, where their experiences and opinions are valued, and we are all open to learning from each other.
As part of our team, you’ll receive a comprehensive induction and access to learning and development opportunities relevant to your role, supporting your ongoing growth.
You’ll have the essentials of:
* Ability to build trusting relationships with young people, enabling them to develop new skills and make their own informed choices
* Demonstrate effective communication, organisational and time management skills
* Ability to problem solve, identifying when a problem needs addressing and devising workable and creative solutions
* Demonstrate commitment to the principles and working practice of equal opportunities
* Demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
* Demonstrate motivation and shows initiative in work practice
* Possess excellent IT skills, the ability to produce reports to a high standard and maintain records effectively using a variety of systems
* Able to engage young people in the community in their own environments
You may also have:
* Experience of working with children and young people on issues such as substance use, education and training, family/relationships and (mental) health
* Experience and a working knowledge of effective interventions with young people experiencing substance misuse issues
* Knowledge and experience of partnership working with other agencies
* Experience of multi‑agency safeguarding approaches and communicating efficiently with other professionals to support young people
Please let us know if we can support you with any reasonable adjustments at any point prior to, during or after the selection process, such as access arrangements, flexible working, or a suitable place to pray.
Our Benefits
We’re committed to being a great place to work, where people achieve and feel valued. In our People Survey, 98% of staff and 100% of volunteers said they were proud to tell people they work or volunteer for No Limits. We’re proud to offer some great benefits, on top of being able to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of local children and young people:
* 36 days annual leave (including public holidays)
* Two additional wellbeing days per year – Supporting you to take additional time off for your wellbeing or development.
* Pension scheme – Supporting your future by matching your additional pension contributions up to 2%.
* Life assurance scheme – Giving you peace of mind with 2x annual salary cover for pension members.
* Hybrid and flexible working – Giving the flexibility to work in the best way for your role.
* Comprehensive induction and training offer – Including our online learning management system with hundreds of opportunities to support your development.
* Employee Assistance Programme – Providing you with counselling, financial, personal support and health and wellbeing services.
Find out more about our benefits here.
Interested?
We’d be happy to have an informal discussion and answer any immediate questions you might have. If you’d like an initial discussion please contact Karen Grove, our Detached and Mentoring Operations Manager on karen.grove@nolimitshelp.org.uk.
To apply, please complete an application form (see above) and upload using the portal below, before the closing date of 9am on Friday, 27th of March, 2026. Please contact people@nolimitshelp.org.uk if you need your application in an alternative format.
In the ‘Your Supporting Statement’ section of the application form, please include how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the ‘About you – knowledge, skills and experience’ section of the role description: link to JD.
Please note that as we follow safer recruitment guidelines, we do not accept CVs, only completed applications.
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