National Settlement Conference 2
(Calgary - October 2-5, 2003)
Settlement Accord
Section Three:
Defining the Settlement Sector
Definition of Settlement
A generally accepted definition of settlement used by the settlement
sector is a “long-term, dynamic, two-way process through which,
ideally, immigrants would achieve full equality and freedom of participation
in society, and society would gain access to the full human resource potential
in its immigrant communities.”[2]
The process of settlement continues throughout the life of the newcomer
and often into the second generation. Goss Gilroy[3]
defines three distinct phases of newcomer integration:
- Settlement refers to the meeting of the basic needs of newcomers
including: housing, food, registering children in school, signing up
for language training, accessing general mainstream services with the
assistance of the service provider, and understanding basic rights and
responsibilities.
- Adaptation refers to the next step in the process, characterized
by an immigrant’s ability to realize some benefits of settlement—that
is, being able to access mainstream services independently, understanding
Canadian social and cultural norms, improving language skills, developing
contacts and building friendships in the community, and reassessing
personal goals.
- Integration refers to the ultimate goal of the process, at
which point immigrants act as fully functioning members of Canadian
society. Among other things, have found and are maintaining employment
appropriate to their skills and background; they participate in mainstream
organizations; they offer a portion of their time to the community;
they feel comfortable with Canadian values, and participate in the political
process (voting, running for office, etc.).
Definition of the Settlement Service Sector
Settlement services exist to facilitate the successful settlement and
integration of immigrants and refugees into the economic, social, cultural
and political life of Canada.
The federal government has a primary enduring responsibility to ensure
that settlement services are available to all immigrants and refugees.
However, in 1998, the governments of Manitoba and British Columbia signed
realignment agreements with the federal government and now administer
settlement services.
No matter which level of government is administering the programs, the
capacity to implement these services depends upon shared responsibility
between governments and other sectors of the community. For example, governments
contract with immigrant serving agencies, “mainstream” organizations,
public institutions such as colleges, and with private companies.
There is a debate about the precise delineation of the settlement service
sector.
One side of the debate focuses on the specialized knowledge that is required
for a program to be legitimately referred to as a settlement service.
Some define the settlement sector narrowly as services provided by those
with specialized knowledge of the settlement, adaptation, and integration
processes. These services are delivered mainly by settlement service organizations.
Others define the settlement sector more widely, as embracing services
delivered by people with varying degrees of expertise. This view encompasses
the settlement assistance provided in various settings by ESL teachers,
child care workers, school counsellors, and employment counsellors. British
Columbia Settlement and Integration Workers Association (BCSIWA) includes
anyone who is providing settlement assistance in any role or setting.
A second aspect of the debate is concerned with defining the settlement
sector according to the organizations that deliver the services. Some
observers limit the settlement service sector to nonprofit settlement
service agencies. They feel that while programs delivered by for-profit
businesses, public institutions and mainstream agencies may in some manner
be settlement services, the agencies themselves are not part of the settlement
sector. Others believe that, regardless of the delivery organization,
any settlement assistance offered is a legitimate part of the settlement
sector.
A third focus of debate is whether the services delivered by the settlement
sector cover settlement, adaptation and integration (as in the Goss Gilroy
definitions), settlement only, or settlement and adaptation. The ultimate
goal of settlement is to help immigrants use community resources to the
same degree as any other citizen of Canada. In order for this to occur,
mainstream community organizations must also be involved. They too must
help accommodate newcomers—for example, by offering introductory
programs in other languages, translating brochures, or providing interpreters.
Some believe that these services should be seen as settlement services
and included as part of the settlement sector, while others do not.
Finally, the settlement sector could be defined as “those with
whom a government contracts to provide services to assist newcomers.”
However, funds to support the integration of newcomers come from a range
of sources, such as community foundations, the United Way, fees for service,
donations, and provincial and municipal governments.
We cannot resolve all these issues here. However, as we discuss the Accord
between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector, and the Codes
of Good Practice on Funding and Policy Development, we use a definition
of the settlement sector based on the agency delivering the service. This
is because the Accord and Codes apply only to services delivered by non-profit,
volunteer-based organizations. In Figure 1, it is the service area shaded
grey that is covered by the Accord and Codes of Good Practice.
Figure 1: Settlement Services and Service Deliverers.
Index
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[2] Immigrant Settlement Counselling:
A Training Guide, OCASI, 1991.Back
[3] Evaluation Framework for Immigrant Settlement
and Adaptation Program, 2000. Back
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