SETTLEMENT SERVICES IN CANADAJennifer York, Senior Manager – Settlement Services

Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia

AGENDA

Introduction to Canadian Immigration and Resettlement of Refugees

Introduction to Settlement Services for Permanent Residents

Key Learnings, Guiding Principles and Best Practices

Challenges

Questions

ABOUT ISSOFBC

Created in 1968 by volunteers and incorporated in 1972 in direct response to the Ismailis fleeing East Africa

First immigrant serving agency in BC and one of the largest multicultural, immigrant serving agencies in Canada

o Pioneered settlement services, host program and refugee reception in BC (3rd refugee resettlement centre in Canada)

Serve over 25,000 clients per year in over 45 languages

Over 16 primary locations; 20 secondary locations (e.g. staff deployment)

500 staff and over 800 volunteers

Both a charity and NGO

Board of Directors selected from broader community

www.issbc.org

ISSOFBC SERVICES

ISSofBC

Settlement Services

Resettlement Assistance

Program (RAP)

Settlement Services

Language and Career Services

Employment LINCLanguage and Career College

ISSOFBC SETTLEMENT SERVICESSettlement

Services

Resettlement Assistance Program

Settlement Services and

Programs

Moving Ahead Program

Settlement

Settlement

Employment

Community Connections

Specialized populations

Others

SOS

VAST

ISSOFBC EMPLOYMENT AND LANGUAGE SERVICES

Language and Career Services

Employment

Pre-arrivals

WorkBC

Employment programs eg Job Success

Employer Solutions*

LINC

Pre-literacy

LINC Levels

LINC for Employment

LCC**

Child minding available at some locations

* note: works with employers on

hiring immigrants and refugees

**social enterprise

CANADA’S IMMIGRANT PROGRAM

Economic Immigrants

Skills Immigrants

Provincial Nominees

Quebec Selected Skilled Workers

Business Immigrants

Investors

Start-Up

Self-employed

Family Sponsorship

Spouse, partner or dependent

children

Parents or Grandparents

Adopted Children or Other Eligible

Relatives

Caregivers

Caring for Children

Caring for High Medical Needs

Live-in Caregivers

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp

CANADA’S REFUGEE PROGRAM

Privately Sponsored

Refugee (PSR)

Private Sponsor Support (12 months)

Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) / Constituent

Group / Community Sponsor / Group of 5

Eligible for IRCC funded settlement, language or

employment services

Blended Office Referral (BVOR)

Federal Government Support (6 months)

Private Sponsor (6 months)

Eligible for IRCC funded settlement, language or

employment services

Government Assisted

Refugee (GAR)

Federal Government Support (12 months)

Subcontracted to a Settlement Service Provider

Organization via the Resettlement Assistance

Program (RAP)

Eligible for IRCC funded settlement, language or

employment services

Refugee Claimant (RCs)

May be eligible for Provincial Social Assistance

Navigates Refugee Determination Process and Settlement simultaneously

Eligible for BC funded Settlement and Integration

Services

Convention refugee status granted overseas Inland Claim

SETTLEMENT PROGRAM FUNDERS IN CANADA

The Government of Canada, through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has jurisdiction over the national immigration system including refugee resettlement Quebec is able have its own selection criteria on selecting potential

immigrants

Some provincial governments provide additional funding and resources for areas that are not covered by IRCC

Additional grants and funding to provide services for immigrants and refugees can be applied for with the municipal governments, foundations, charities and private donors

With ISSofBC, our Language and Career College is social enterprise and impacts our earning capacity

.

A range of programs offering different levels of support

Settlement Program: Settlement, Employment and Community Connections

Specialized Programs: Women’s, Youth, Seniors

Refugees: Resettlement Assistance Program, Settlement Crisis Support, Vulnerable Populations (MAP) Program

Low

Level

of

Su

pp

ort

Hig

h

Broad Client Group Targeted

SETTLEMENT SERVICES FOR NEWCOMERS

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Key tool in all programs

Assess client needs, challenges, strengths and goals

May take place all at once or over a few sessions, depending on the client

www.issbc.org

PERSONALIZED SETTLEMENT PLAN

Occurs after immediate needs have been met Provide individualized support, referrals and

case management appropriate to their level of need as identified in the Needs Assessment

Outlines a strategy to achieve settlement success based on identified needs and available services / community supports

Monitored on subsequent visits to measure client progress, assess the need for additional support/referral, and ensure programs are meeting client needs.

www.issbc.org

WORKSHOPS

Pre-organized and advertised workshops

Usually 2 hours in length, offered evenings and weekends

Topics identified by front-line staff depending on needs within their community Taxation

Rights and Freedoms

Housing

Health and Insurance

Family and Parenting

www.issbc.org

SHORT COURSES / PROGRAMS

Targeted recruitment and retention May be general or targeted (e.g. age / gender / empl) Length of program varies:

3-6 sessions (e.g. Citizenship Test Preparation, Job Search, Computer Literacy)

10-16 weeks (e.g. Youth, Women’s Training and Support Groups)

Established curriculum but flexibility to ensure topics are appropriate to client needs

Provide information, as well asthe opportunity to enhance skills through group participation and practice

www.issbc.org

MENTORING AND PEER SUPPORT

Purpose is to match long-term residents with newcomers

May be employment/occupational or settlement specific

Opportunity to obtain additional support, practice English, expand social / employment network

www.issbc.org

FIELD TRIPS

Provides opportunity to make connections to Canadian society, increase familiarity with local resources and practice English while participating in social, educational or recreational activities City Hall

Hockey Night in Canada

Chinese New Years Celebration

Canada Day Celebration

www.issbc.org

SETTLEMENT SERVICES

www.issbc.org

ISSOFBC’S APPROACH

Programming must be responsive to settlement patterns Services should be near to where clients reside (eg faith based

outreach/staff deployment)

Culture and Language (provided via first language)

Age and stage

Gender (including LGTBQ)

Our organizational wide service database enables us to tell a more complete story of our collective services & impact

Engagement of civil society in our services increases our ability to fulfil our mission

ISSOFBC: GUIDING PRINCIPLES

One Stop Shop

o Locate services in same office or in close proximity to minimize extent to which clients must travel between offices

o An integrated approach to overall service delivery at an organization level ensures client needs are met in a holistic manner

Ensure services are accessible

o Provide services as close to where newcomers live as possible, in buildings that are accessible and close to transit

o Provide supports eg childminding and transportation supports, evenings/weekends)

o Services in first language

One size does not fit all

o Offer a range of services and delivery formats to meet diverse needs

o The migration experience (eg immigrant vs refugee) impacts service needs and approaches

ISSOFBC: GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Responsive and flexible

o Ensure programming is responsive to changing client needs, and able to respond when new needs or communities arise (eg through deployment)

Client Centered and Capacity Building

o Work to support clients in becoming self-sufficient through doing things with, not for, clients. Avoid unhealthy dependency.

o Increased emphasis on settlement and integration as a process

o Building capacity of newcomers to understand, adjust and connect to, feel accepted and fully participate in a new society

ISSOFBC: GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Collaboration and Partnerships

o Avoid duplication of services through partnerships and collaborative relationships

o ISSofBC can’t do it all alone – leveraging other expertise and resources through partnerships and collaborations o Development of long-term strategic relations with media outlets helps to

enhance our mission

o Development of a comprehensive approach to newcomer labour market attachment necessitates engaging with employers

o Collaborative academic research enhances policy and program development

Continuous Service Quality Evaluation

o For services to be effective there is a need to ensure continuous service quality evaluation

o Consultation with the various client groups

CHALLENGES

• Time consuming data collection

• Lack of data to better determine funding and service needs

• Secondary migration

• Privately Sponsored Refugees

• Passive policy means some clients fall through the cracks

• Administration – multiple funders

• Lack of consistency in funding

• Lack of specialized first language primary and mental health care (eg with the Syrians and other groups)

GOAL: CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP

Age

Length of stay

Language

French or English

Knowledge of Canada

WELCOME CENTRE (HTTP://ISSBC.ORG/WELCOMECENTRE/)

Video on Welcome Centre

Helping immigrants build a future in Canada

www.issbc.org

Thank you!