Assistant Psychologist

Job Title: Assistant Psychologist

Employer: Irish Prison Service

County: Cork

Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 4th June 2026

Starting Salary: €34,064

About the Employer:

The Irish Prison Service plays a vital role in ensuring safe and secure custody while enabling rehabilitation and reintegration, all within a dynamic criminal justice environment.

The Irish Prison Service is dedicated to ensuring that those deprived of their liberty are treated with dignity and humanity. Prisoner care and rehabilitation is a core aim of the Service and it strives to achieve a balanced approach in the effective performance of our care and custody functions.

The Irish Prison Service operates as an executive office within the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. It’s Headquarters (HQ) are located in Longford and it comprises of five Directorates including Care and Rehabilitation (C&R), Operations, Human Resources, Finance and Estates, and Corporate Services.

The Irish Prison Service is headed by a Director General who is supported by a number of Directors and is a key component of Ireland’s Criminal Justice System employing approximately 3,700 uniformed and civilian staff. Currently, the Irish Prison Service estate is made up of 13 institutions; comprising of 10 traditional closed institutions (Arbour Hill, Castlerea, Cloverhill, Cork, Dochás, Limerick, Midlands, Mountjoy, Portlaoise, Wheatfield) and two Open Centres (Loughan House and Shelton Abbey) and the Training Unit (Mountjoy). Typically, the Irish Prison Service manages approximately 5,000 people in custody at any one time, both male and female, aged 18 and over.

About the Role:

Assistant Psychologists in the Irish Prison Service are a much-valued resource who:

• Support local and national Irish Prison Service Psychology Services and enhance the contribution of qualified Psychologists.

• Support the primary care mental health needs of people in custody.

• Provide an enhanced level of support to young people in custody.

• Support service-related initiatives.

Assistant Psychologists will be clinically supervised by a qualified Psychologist (assigned by the local Senior Psychologist) and line managed by the local Senior Psychologist (or their nominated designate). Supervision is strictly in line with Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) Guidelines.

About You:

Desirable

• Previous experience of clinical interview and use of a variety of psychometric assessment.

• Knowledge and or/experience of delivering evidence based primary care mental health interventions e.g. guided self-help, psycho-educational individual and group work, and other appropriate evidence based approaches to working with mental health on an individual/group work basis.

• Good working knowledge of the relevant national and local policies in relation to professional ethics, confidentiality and safeguarding children (e.g., Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, 2011); safeguarding adults; and the prevention and control of infection.

• Knowledge of the factors that lead to offending behaviour.

• Access to transport and/or a current full driving licence (Category B), valid in Ireland and have access to a car.

The Closing Date for this competition is Thursday, 4th of June at 3pm.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.