Role Terms
| Salary: | Band D £28,031 – £31,079 per annum (Full-Time Equivalent, 37 hours per week) |
| Hours: | 37 hours per week, to include evenings and weekend |
| Role type: | Permanent |
| 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 6th November 2026 |
| Interview Date: | Thursday 12th November 2026 |
✨We’re looking for an experienced and motivated Detached 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
Detached Youth Work is a different method of delivering youth work; it is delivered out and about in locations that young people are already accessing, this could be parks, shopping centres, streets or skate parks. Detached Youth Work recognises that not all young people want to access traditional building based youth work but still want to engage in positive activities and build relationships with youth work staff.
Your key responsibilities will include:
As part of the DASH (Drug and Alcohol Support Hub), our Detached Youth Workers:
- Provide detached youth work in priority locations within Southampton, build positive relationships with children and young people, encourage positive behaviours and provide diversionary activities.
- Are responsible for signposting and referencing children and young people to other services within No Limits and external agencies.
- Engage children and young people in a young person-centred, non-judgemental way, meeting young people where they are, building relationships and gaining trust.
- Provide information for young people on diversionary activities.
- Provide information and advice to children and young people around subjects such as substance use, mental health, loneliness, sexual health, relationships, exploitation, housing and economic wellbeing.
- In a team of 3 youth workers deliver a minimum of 4 outreach sessions per week
- Introduce yourself and our service to young people with the aim of engaging them in discussion, building relationships and continued engagement
- To establish routes and set times that young people can become familiar with
- To establish relationships with partner agencies that have contact with children and young people and businesses where young people may congregate
- Over time, build relationships with night club owners and promotors to develop a presence in clubs, bars, raves and concerts where drug use is likely to be high
- Be part of Southampton’s wider contextual safeguarding approach
As a Youth Worker, you must:
- Build trusting and supportive relationships with children and young people
- Respect and promote children and young people’s rights to make their own decisions and choices
- Be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults
Please see the job description for further details about the responsibilities of the role.
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 😄 (click to expand)
We are 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
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, Detached and Mentoring Operations Manager at karen.grove@nolimitshelp.org.uk.
To apply, please complete an application form from our website and upload using the portal, before the closing date of 9am on Friday, 6th of November an Interview date of Thursday, 12th of November. Being a Disability Confident Employer means we are committed to removing barriers in recruitment and employment. If you require an application form in an alternative format or need any support or adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact our friendly People Team on people@nolimitshelp.org.uk or 02380 224224. As we work with vulnerable children and young people, and follow safer recruitment guidelines, we’re unable to accept CVs.
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.