Youth Worker

Nolimitshelp; Southampton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - GBP 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading youth services charity in Southampton is seeking a passionate Youth Worker to join the DASH team. This role involves supporting young people aged 11-24 facing substance use issues by conducting assessments, devising care plans, and providing holistic support. The ideal candidate should have experience working with youth and a relevant qualification. No Limits values diversity and encourages applicants from all backgrounds to apply, reflecting the community they serve. Competitive benefits and a commitment to professional growth are offered.

Benefits

36 days annual leave

Wellbeing days

Pension scheme

Life assurance scheme

Hybrid working

Comprehensive training offer

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people affected by substance use.
• Knowledge of youth criminal justice and mental health issues.
• Ability to devise care plans and conduct comprehensive assessments.

Responsibilities

• Support young people with substance use issues through case holding.
• Conduct assessments and create recovery plans.
• Provide rights-based information and advice.

Skills

Experience in working with children and young people

Effective communication skills

Time management skills

Proactive and collaborative work style

Education

Minimum Level 3 youth work qualification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Role Terms

• Salary: Band D - £27,215.13 to £30,173.90 (Full Time Equivalent)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, mostly office hours but to include some evenings and weekends subject to organisational needs
• Role type: Permanent
• Place of work: Based at No Limits Advice Centre
• Role Screening: DBS - Enhanced with Barred Lists
• Essential Driver? Yes, as DASH is a community-based project of use of a vehicle for work is essential.
• Closing Date: 9am on Monday, 2nd of March 2026
• Interview Date: TBC

CVs AND EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE VISIT NO LIMITS WEBSITE FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTION AND TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FOR THIS ROLE

Job Description and Applicant Form (see above).

✨Are you passionate about helping to make a difference to children and young people? We're looking for an experienced and enthusiastic youth worker to join the DASH (Drugs and Alcohol Support Hub) team.✨

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

As a Youth Worker - DASH, you will support young people aged 11-24 with substance use issues. This will involve taking a holistic and collaborative approach to case holding, and will include assessing young people, devising care plans and offering specialist substance advice and information. DASH deliver a range of interventions including open access, 1-2-1 & group interventions and needle exchange. Experience of youth work or supporting people around substance use is highly desirable; you may not have this experience but will have an understanding of the issues young people face. On your application, tell us about the skills you can bring to this role. You will need to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that young people and their families are able to access appropriate support. A working knowledge of youth criminal justice and mental health issues is desirable.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Case-holding children and young people affected by substance use to support them around substances and reduce the harm associated with substance use
• Conduct comprehensive assessments
• Working alongside young people to create and review recovery plans and safeguarding
• Provide high quality, rights-based information and advice in a way that is understandable and accessible to children and young people and enables them to explore options and make informed choices
• Delivering educational and harm reduction interventions and supporting professional networks to deliver interventions and plans

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:

• Experience in working with children and young people and/or a minimum Level 3 (or equivalent) youth work or relevant qualification
• Knowledge and experience of developing and maintaining contacts / positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Effective communication, organisational and time management skills
• Confident and able to use Microsoft apps, such as Word, Teams and Excel, and databases
• Working proactively and collaboratively with others; reflecting creativity, adaptability and bringing positivity and enthusiasm to your work
• Commitment to personal growth, and ongoing learning and development

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 are committed to being a great place to work, where people achieve and feel valued. 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 love to hear from you!

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 Dan Rogers, our DASH Operations Manager on [e-mail].

To apply, please complete an application form (see above) and upload using the portal below, before the closing date of 9am on Monday, 2nd of March 2026. Please contact [e-mail] 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.