Job Description
Job Title:
Prison Recovery Educator (Mental Health and Substance Use)
Reports to:
MQI IPS Addiction Services Manager
We are hiring two Prison Recovery Educator on a 1 Year Fixed Term Contract.
* 1 Role is based across our Dublin Prisons
* Role is based across our Regional Prisons (Midlands/Portlaoise OR Cork/Limerick)
The post holder(s), funded by the Irish Prison Service, will be employed by Merchants Quay Ireland seconded to the Irish Prison Service.
Merchants Quay Ireland
Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) is a national non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting individuals impacted by homelessness and addiction through a model of care rooted in dignity, respect, and trauma-informed practice.
MQI delivers a comprehensive national addiction service across the Irish prison estate in partnership with the Irish Prison Service. The professional therapeutic framework utilises evidence-based interventions ranging from individual and group therapy to intensive rehabilitation, such as the Treatment and Recovery Programme (TARP) in Mountjoy's Medical Unit. A critical component of this work is "throughcare," where MQI teams provide strategic release planning and relapse overdose prevention education to ensure continuity of care as individuals reintegrate. By partnering with prison medical services and community outreach teams, MQI provides a holistic, national response to addiction, meeting people wherever they are to achieve lasting change.
Irish Prison Service (IPS) Psychology Service
The IPS Psychology Service provides specialist, evidence-based psychological assessment and intervention to people in custody, supporting rehabilitation, recovery, and public safety. Psychologists work with individuals who present with complex needs, including trauma, mental ill-health, personality difficulties, addiction, self-harm, suicide risk, and offending behaviour. The service operates within a multidisciplinary prison-based team, contributing to risk assessment, sentence planning, therapeutic programmes, and pre- and post-release planning to support recovery and rehabilitation.
The Pathways to Change programme in the Irish Prison Service is a specific offence-focused group intervention designed to help people in custody explore and understand their risk factors for violent and harmful behaviour early in their sentence. It is typically delivered over eight weeks in a group format and aims to increase self-awareness about what motivates someone's offending, encourage personal responsibility, and link that insight with opportunities for rehabilitation and behaviour change both inside prison and after release. The programme is part of the Psychology Service's broader suite of therapeutic supports to reduce the risk of re-offending and promote safer reintegration.
Role Profile
The Prison Recovery Educator post offers two successful candidates the opportunity to work as part of dynamic teams interested in developing, delivering and promoting mental health and substance use recovery initiatives and therapeutic programmes through the IPS Psychology Service and MQI Addiction Services across various prison settings. These posts have been funded by and developed in partnership with the Irish Prison Service.
Duties And Responsibilities
The main duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:
* The delivery of prison recovery education. This may include the delivery of group programmes such as the Treatment and Recovery Programme (TARP), Peer Recovery Education such as Connect Create Participate (a recovery focused course which includes opportunities for participants to train as facilitators), and other programmes that are developed by MQI or the IPS Psychology Service.
* Co-facilitation of the 'Pathways to Change' group programme delivered by the IPS Psychology Service.
* Delivery of training to staff and people in custody.
* Collaborating in relation to development of mental health and addiction material to circulate within prisons.
* Supporting people in custody to engage with MQI and the IPS Psychology Service.
* Lived experience input to National Steering Groups and other forums.
* Consultation on various prison-based initiatives, for example Mental Health Week.
* Supporting the development of relevant policies and protocols.
* Involvement in IPS input to clinical and counselling programmes across the country.
* There may be opportunities to support people on release from prison for a time limited period.
In Meeting These Responsibilities, The Postholder Will Be Required
* To work alongside staff from prison services, community organisations and other professionals, to promote and maintain a recovery focused culture in prisons.
* To maintain and develop networks and partnerships across the prison community to improve opportunities to those in prison experiencing mental health and or substance use issues.
* To model recovery aligned language (e.g. positive strengths based, non-discriminatory, non-jargon, non-medical language) in all areas of work, leveraging recovery principles and using a trauma informed approach throughout.
* To engage with and involve stakeholders (service users, family members, volunteers, and staff from all partnership organisations).
* To ensure continuous reflection, review and development of practice.
Qualifications And Experience
Essential Criteria
* Certification in facilitation, peer support, or recovery education (e.g., QQI Level 6/7 in Peer Support Practice, Recovery Education, or equivalent).
* Have lived experience of recovery from mental health, addiction, or related challenges, or significant experience supporting others through recovery — and the ability to share this constructively and appropriately in an educational setting.
* Strong understanding of recovery philosophy (mental health/substance use) and commitment to recovery-oriented principles.
* Group Facilitation and/or Adult Education experience.
* Knowledge of and commitment to mental health and substance use recovery principles and models of community participation with a good understanding of the needs of people with mental health and substance use difficulties.
* Ability to foster self-determination and self-care.
* Effective Communication: The ability to simplify the complex and keep people engaged.
* Inclusive Mentorship: A commitment to supporting diverse learners by adapting to their unique needs.
* High Emotional Intelligence: Strong active listening skills and an empathetic approach to problem-solving.
* Respect for confidentiality, boundaries, trauma-informed practice, and ethical engagement with learners.
* Ability to work effectively as part of a team, within a multi-disciplinary framework and an ability to be flexible and responsive to changing priorities.
* Awareness of and commitment to all aspects of anti-discriminatory practice.
* Basic IT / digital literacy for delivery and administration of recovery education activities.
* Hold a full driver's licence and have access to own vehicle for travel.
Desirable Criteria
* Experience in developing and delivering recovery based mental health and/or substance use training.
* Experience working in co-production/co-facilitation models alongside professionals and peers.
* Training in the delivery of specific recovery education models or methods (e.g., WRAP, Recovery Principles, Recovery Coaching).
* Understanding of health or social care systems, community supports, and referral pathways in mental health and/or addiction services.
* Mentoring or peer coaching experience; confidence in storytelling and using personal narrative effectively in educational context.
* Commitment to the integration of professional and service user agendas experience/expertise in education, research and service development.
Essential Training
The postholder will be required to undertake induction and annual Continual Professional Development (CPD) training
.
Specialist training in Recovery Programmes will be provided.
The postholder will be required to engage in supervision provided by MQI to carry out their duties.
Salary Range:
€35,659 - €42,168 dependant on experience
Contract:
12 month Fixed Term Contract
Location:
1 x Dublin based –
located in MQI Merchants Quay Ireland (with travel to all Dublin Prisons)
1 x Regional
– (exact location of post will depend on successful candidate). May be located at our MQI Service in the Midlands (with travel to the Midlands/Portlaoise prisons and to the MQI offices in Dublin) or based in Cork/Limerick prisons with some travel to the MQI office in Dublin.
Closing date: 6th of March 2026
apply here:
https://merchants-quay-
A panel may be created from this competition for any future vacancies arising within 18 months.