Youth Worker – DASH Youth Justice Service Link

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

Job summary

A leading youth services charity is seeking a DASH Youth Justice Service Link Youth Worker in Southampton. This full-time role involves supporting young people with substance use needs and collaborating closely with the Youth Justice Service. Applicants should have a Level 3 youth work qualification and be passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people. Strong communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team are essential. A commitment to safeguarding and promoting welfare is paramount.

Benefits

36 days annual leave

Two additional wellbeing days

Pension scheme

Life assurance scheme

Hybrid and flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience in supporting young people with substance use issues.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with youth.
• Commitment to safeguarding children and young people.

Responsibilities

• Support young people with substance issues in a community-based setting.
• Collaborate with Youth Justice Service for interventions.
• Deliver training to enhance substance misuse knowledge.

Skills

Youth work experience

Understanding of substance use issues

Effective communication skills

Organizational skills

Proficiency in Microsoft apps

Ability to work collaboratively

Education

Youth work qualification (Level 3 or equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Word

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 and Young People’s Service Youth Hub
• 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: Monday 22nd December 2025 - 9AM
• Interview Date: Friday 9th January 2026

✨ 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 DASH Youth Justice Service Link Youth Worker, you will support a wide range of young people with substance support needs. A significant part of the role is supporting young people open to the Youth Justice Service and working alongside the Youth Justice Service. This will involve taking a holistic and collaborative approach to case holding, and will include assessing young people, creating care plans and offering specialist substance advice and information.

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:

• Working with Youth Justice Service to identify young people with drug and alcohol issues and children who are affected by someone else’s substance use
• Case‑holding children affected by substance use to educate them around substances and reduce the harm associated with substance use
• Supporting professional networks to work with young people to deliver appropriate interventions
• Holding clinics for social workers, youth justice workers and family support workers to answer substance related enquiries and improve knowledge and confidence in the Youth Justice Service
• Delivering training to Youth Justice Service to increase knowledge and skills around brief interventions and harm minimisation

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
• 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 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
• Ability to problem‑solve, identifying when a problem needs addressing and devising workable and creative solution
• Demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
• Ability to deliver training to other professionals to increase knowledge and confidence in those staff and enable effective work with young people

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 use 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. 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.

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 and upload using the portal below, before the closing date of 9am on Monday, 22nd of December 2025 with an interview date of Friday, 9th of January 2026. Please contact [e-mail] if you need your application in an alternative format.

In the ‘Your Supporting Statement’ section of your application form, please include how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the ‘About you – knowledge, skills and experience’ section of the role description.

Note that as we follow safer recruitment guidelines, we do not accept CVs, only completed applications.