The Frankie Service (Hampshire)

About

Frankie Workers provide therapeutic counselling to children and young people aged 0-18 years, and play therapy for children who are victims of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or female genital mutilation.

The Frankie service is inspired by Frankie, an adult survivor of child sexual abuse who is now in her early 20s. Frankie was considered a happy child, ‘gifted and talented’ until being sexually abused at a young age and over a number of years by a family friend. Frankie says she was not offered trauma support and was eventually sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Frankie believes that had her trauma been dealt with, she would have coped and recovered better.

The Hampshire Frankie Team is provided by No Limits and includes a Pan Hampshire Play Therapist. The team sits alongside The Willow Team in Hampshire County Council’s Children’s Services. All Hampshire enquiries and referrals are via frankie@hants.gov.uk or 03707 793 512.

About No Limits

No Limits provides a range of youth services principally from its base in Southampton. Their work focuses on general youth engagement, health and wellbeing support including counselling, and welfare and advice services.

Their core service offers advice and support throug their drop-in Advice Centre in Southampton High Street, a friendly, accessible space open for over 40 hours per week, including evenings and weekends. Young people can drop in for a chat and cup of tea without appointment. This flexibility, combined with the non-judgemental, young person-centred approach of the 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, child sexual exploitation); young parents; counselling; therapeutic groups (anger management, anxiety, bereavement).

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.