Our Advice Centre is open today from 10:00am – 5:00pm
About Us
No Limits is an award-winning, local, independent charity providing a unique combination of prevention, early intervention and crisis support to young people, based on a nationally evidenced model. We provide information, advice, counselling and support through a range of services available ‘under one roof’.
We meet the needs of the most deprived, vulnerable and isolated young people who often don’t access mainstream services. By supporting across a wide range of issues including sexual health, relationships, mental health, housing, debt and employment, we support young people through the transition from adolescence to adulthood, often helping them climb out of, or avoid, social exclusion.
Our Service
Our core service offers advice and support through our drop-in Advice Centre on Southampton High Street, a friendly, accessible space open for over 40 hours per week, including evenings and weekends. Young people can drop in without having to make an appointment. This flexibility, combined with the non-judgemental, young person-centred approach of our youth workers, mean that many of the barriers to seeking help often faced by vulnerable young people are removed. The youth workers are trusted by the young people – often the only professionals that are seen to be ‘on their side’.
From the drop-in, young people can be referred on to our specialist services including housing and homelessness, substance misuse, vulnerable groups (young carers, care leavers, young offenders), young parents, counselling, therapeutic groups (anger management, anxiety, bereavement).
All our services are confidential and free to young people. With the support of volunteers, local partnerships and dedicated staff, we support around 7,000 young people each year.
What we do
The Youth Information Advice Counselling and Support service model (YIACs) on which No Limits is based is a nationally proven early intervention model, with a substantial and long-standing evidence base for its effectiveness. Many government and independent reports over the past 30 years have highlighted the effectiveness of holistic ‘under one roof’ models of service for young people. Young people are offered support on a range of issues in a young person-centred environment.
As a YIAC, No Limits ‘meets young people where they are’ and brings together youth information, advice on social welfare, emotional health and wellbeing, and counselling services with a range of positive activities and the support of statutory partners.
We strive to safeguard the welfare of children and young people to the highest standard and aim to involve children and young people in the planning, delivery and evaluation of all our services.
Our Mission and Values
Here at No Limits, we support, advise and educate young people, helping them to gain the skills and knowledge needed to manage their lives, grow in confidence and build brighter futures. We aim to help children and young people aged under 26 to help themselves achieve positive outcomes through offering caring, supportive, confidential environments where young people can explore issues which are affecting their lives.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower children and young people to reach their full potential through information, advice, counselling and support.
– We are committed to providing a holistic and confidential service for young people that empowers them to reach their full potential.
– We understand that children and young people face challenges on multiple levels, including with mental and physical health, relationships, housing and money, accessing education and employment.
– We are passionate about ensuring that all children and young people know their worth, are supported and cared for in times of need, and empowered to know their rights and advocate for change.
– We embrace diversity and equality of opportunities to inspire all children and young people, staff and volunteers within No Limits
– Our Youth Information, Advice and Counselling Service (YIACS model) provides an open door for children and young people (up to age 25) to gain support, learn about their rights and access a range of resources.
Our Values
At No Limits all our services are underpinned by our values, we are:
– Respectful
– Inclusive
– Safe
– Empowering
– Trustworthy
Our People
We have over 150 staff and volunteers working at No Limits, from finance and admin to counsellors and youth workers. Many of them have lived experiences of the issues we offer support for, with some having been helped by No Limits in the past.
Our trustee board has 12 members. Each of them bring their own experience from their industry and career, along with a shared passion for supporting young people.
The Senior Leadership Team – CEO, Head of Services, Head of Finance, Head of Central Services – run No Limits on a day-to-day basis, reporting back regularly to the trustee board.
Find out more about our Trustees and Senior Leadership Team in the link below.
Find out more
How to get help from No Limits
We support young people in a number of ways in person, online or over the phone, being adaptable to what they need and what they feel comfortable with.
Young people can come and see us at our Advice Centre in Southampton, talk to one of our youth workers via web chat or call us on 02380 224 224. Find out more about how to get in touch and when we’re open on our Advice and Wellbeing Hub page.
We offer lots of support that is accessible straight away and doesn’t require a referral form. See the ‘how we can help’ section of the home page to find this.
What is a referral form?
It’s a form we use to get young people to the right place and get them the right support. In the form, we’ll ask you what they need help with, as well as asking for a few contact details so we can get in touch. Referral forms take no more than 15 minutes to fill in.
If you are a parent/carer, teacher, GP, Mental Health professional or other professional looking after the welfare of a young person, you can refer them to us through the Refer a Young Person form.
Fill in a referral form nowFurther Information
Where to Find Us
The location, address, transport and parking for our Advice Centre, our site at The Avenue and our temporary location at The Boathouse while The Avenue is renovated.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Find out more about our approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, including commitments to supporting Black and Brown young people, and lived and living experience.
For Parents and Professionals
If you’re a parent, carer, GP, teacher or other professional looking after the wellbeing of a young person, you can find out more about our services, and helpful resources here.
Our History
No Limits was founded in 1993, when a group of young people and local organisations realised that young people needed somewhere to go for information, advice and counselling. So, our Shirley drop-in centre was opened.
By 2001, we had two more centres, in Sholing and the city centre and in 2015, our current Advice Centre opened, giving young people better access to our services, with increased, regular opening hours.
Watch more about our history in the video, showing how we’ve changed from the start in 1993, up to our 30th birthday in 2023.
More about us
Our Impact
Take a look at what we did last financial year with our latest impact report.
Service Directory
Our A-Z guide of No Limits services for staff and professionals. Last updated August 2023.
Paid-For Services
Through our trading arm, we offer sessions for students and staff in education settings, youth worker support and private counselling for young people.
Our Strategy 2024 - 2027
Created with staff, Youth Ambassadors and young people, the strategy outlines No Limits’ vision for the next three years, ensuring we continue to develop our support and are here for young people, no matter what they face.
Our Youth Empowerment Strategy 2024 - 2027
Made in collaboration with our Youth Ambassadors, this youth empowerment strategy outlines how we’ll be working to embed children and young people right into the heart of everything we do.
You have selected an option that is best dealt with by our therapeutic support services. We will redirect you to the information page about these services, which gives details about getting in touch by phone.
You have selected an option that is best dealt with by our therapeutic support services. We will redirect you to the information page about these services, which gives details about getting in touch by phone.
We offer services to young people who live in Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. For information about similar services local to you, please visit Find help | Youth Access. Youth Access is the umbrella body for organisations like No Limits and you can search here for a local organisation that can help you.
We offer services to young people who live in Southampton, Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. For information about similar services local to you, please visit Find help | Youth Access. Youth Access is the umbrella body for organisations like No Limits and you can search here for a local organisation that can help you.
We're sorry, but we cannot help the person you are referring as they are above our age range.
If you would like us to refer them to another organisation in Southampton who may be able to click continue to complete this form, we will then pass their details on.
We're sorry, but we can only help young people under the age of 26.
If you would like us to refer you to another organisation in Southampton who can help you click continue to complete this form, we will then pass your details on.
If the young person is not willing to talk to us, then we cannot take the referral. However you can contact us on 02380 224 224 if you would like to talk to a youth worker for advice.
Without this consent, we will not be able to respond to you and cannot continue.
Click go back and select yes to continue.
Without this consent, we will not be able to respond to you and cannot continue.
Without their consent, or a good reason for you to give us the parent/carer’s own personal information, we cannot let you give it to us. This form will be submitted with the young person’s information and support needs, but without the parent/carer’s information.
If the young person does not want to have their parent/carer involved in this referral, you will need to pick a different way for us to contact them