National Settlement Service and Standards Framework
Section 1
The Settlement Service Sector
Before discussing standards, we should clarify what we mean by the
terms “settlement service sector,” “settlement services” and “settlement” itself.
We should also look at the values and principles that underpin our work.
Values and Guiding Principles of the Settlement Service
Sector
It has been stressed in the settlement sector that values and guiding
principles are critical in the formulation of national standards for
settlement services. Notably, these values and principles have been outlined
by Canadian Council for Refugees (2000) as well as OCASI/COSTI (1999),
and may be summarized as follows:
- Client-centred: In the design and provision of
services, the unique background of individual clients—including
ethnicity, sex, language, migration experience, and specific needs*are
taken into consideration, within the mandate and resources of the agency.
- Empowering: Services foster the independence of
clients in the new environment by facilitating and supporting their
learning and decision-making through provision of information, and
by recognizing and mobilizing their internal resources, experiences
and skills.
- Holistic: Services are provided in a manner that
simultaneously recognizes the multi-dimensionality of client needs
- physical, social, psychological, spiritual, political and other -
and aspirations to avoid compartmentalization of those needs. In addition,
services include community development and promoting positive changes
at the societal level to create a more welcoming environment for clients.
- Accessible: Culturally appropriate services are
available in a safe environment to all individuals who meet the service
provider’s eligibility criteria, and are provided in the client’s
language where necessary and feasible; service locations are accessible
geographically, and wheelchair-accessible whenever possible.
- Equitable and Respectful: Services are provided
in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of clients, and without
any form of discrimination based on a client’s background.
- Accountable: Information is gathered on an ongoing
basis so that it is accurate and current; programs and services are
monitored and evaluated regularly to improve effectiveness and efficiency;
accountability is also ensured by having an appropriate and transparent
governance body and practices, appropriate infrastructure, responsible
management, and openness to scrutiny by membership and funders.
What is the Settlement Service Sector?
The settlement service sector is a sub-sector of the social service
sector. The primary providers of settlement services in Canada are community-based,
not-for-profit organizations, which are designed to provide a variety
of specialized services to immigrants and refugees. Independent immigrant
service agencies, agencies with mandates that go beyond immigrant services,
and some broader public sector institutions, such as school boards and
health authorities, may help settlement service agencies provide immigrant
services. Community-based agencies are also distinctive in their efforts
around emerging immigrant-related issues and community development, thereby
playing an active and ongoing role in strengthening civil society.
The majority of immigrant-service agencies evolved from community-based
volunteer groups formed in response to the perceived needs of immigrants
and refugees. A voluntary board of directors typically directs a settlement
service agency, with operations and services carried out by paid staff
often supported by volunteers. Community-based settlement service agencies
are not-for-profit organizations, and the majority are also registered
charities. They are unique in providing services that are culturally
sensitive, linguistically accessible and non-intimidating to immigrants
and refugees. They are also flexible and responsive to client needs and
are involved in sector collaboration to improve the larger environment
for their clientele.
The programs and operations of settlement service agencies have become
increasingly sophisticated over the past few decades as these organizations
have accumulated experience and expertise. They have worked within shifting
social and fiscal environments and adapted to meet the changing needs
of newcomers. Settlement service agencies can now provide a wide range
of services to immigrants and refugees from various backgrounds and countries
of origin.
In addition, they have organized provincially, regionally, and nationally
to more effectively influence policies, conduct professional development,
and offer services.
The role of language and occupation-specific training
in the sector
Language training and occupation-specific training are widely accepted
as integral parts of the settlement service continuum. When the teaching
materials of language trainers include orientation information, these
trainers become providers of settlement information. “Occupation-specific
training” means training that is specific to a particular occupation,
such as nursing or engineering, which provides occupation-related vocabulary
and orientation to the occupation in Canada. This type of training also
contributes to the settlement of immigrants and refugees, especially
as some programs include placement with employers, which often leads
to employment.
However, further discussion with language instructors is needed, as
there are both broad and narrow definitions for language training as
it relates to settlement services. Language instructors have a specialized
function and their own national professional association and benchmarks.
However, while some work in educational institutions, others work in
settlement organizations.
It may be appropriate for language instructors to affiliate with both
the education and settlement sectors, since their effectiveness depends
on both their educational credentials and their sensitivity to immigrant
students.
Settlement is a process that a new immigrant or refugee goes through
upon arrival in a new country. It may be divided into short-term (initial
orientation), intermediate-term (adaptation),
and long-term (integration) stages. The ultimate goal
of settlement is for an immigrant to be able to participate fully in,
benefit equitably from, and contribute to the economic, social, cultural
and political aspects of Canadian life.
The settlement process has been divided into three general phases: adjustment,
adaptation, and integration (Lam 1997, Gilroy 2000). Another factor that
is important in evaluating the success of a settlement process is the
subjective psychological state of immigrants regarding their quality
of life during these three phases. Therefore these phases have been generalized
as follows:
- Initial orientation and adjustment: In this phase,
immigrants acclimatize to and familiarize themselves with the new environment;
including the climate, cultural norms, language, systems, and rights
and responsibilities so that they can meet immediate and basic necessities
of living. This is usually accomplished with the assistance of service
providers. During this phase, immigrants feel that life is in a state
of flux, and most of their energy is focused on knowledge acquisition
and interpretation of Canadian systems and society.
- Adaptation: In this phase, immigrants gain more
in-depth and specific knowledge about the new environment, reassess
personal goals, develop social networks, and become more independent.
They usually do this with a minimum amount of help from service providers.
From an immigrant’s perspective, life is reasonably stable during
this phase but still in transition as it moves toward the ultimate
goal. The client’s energy is spent mostly on improving the overall level
of functioning in the Canadian context.
- Integration: In this phase, immigrants attain
a stable means of livelihood and a sense of connectedness to Canada;
they function independently and confidently, and participate actively
as contributing members of Canadian society. This occurs when immigrants
become reasonably satisfied with their life and status after
adjusting to Canadian reality.
Settlement is a long-term and multi-faceted process whose ultimate
goal is full integration. While settlement service agencies strive to
assist newcomers movement toward that goal, agencies understand that
individual circumstances and the external environment may cause newcomers
to accomplish it with varying degrees of success.
Just as Canadian-born residents participate in, benefit from, and contribute
to different dimensions of Canadian life, the sphere and pace of integration
will also differ for newcomers. While readiness plays a part in the long-term
integration of newcomers, along with the initial settlement service,
societal and institutional factors also help determine the extent and
speed of integration. Neither the newcomers nor the service agencies
can control these factors. The understanding and acknowledgement of this
fundamental limitation has clear implications for the realistic accountability
of settlement service agencies, and for the outcomes they should be responsible
for bringing about.
While 90 percent of the 69 respondents to the questionnaire agreed
with the proposed definition of settlement, agencies kept coming back
to the contention that it is neither realistic nor practical to reduce
a complex human process into a discrete and universal time frame. Service
providers believe that the ups and downs of life*the advances and regressions
that people experience*make settlement a dynamic and complex process
that is not necessarily linear. Settlement is not a one-way process where
the immigrant struggles in a vacuum; it is a two-way process, where societal
understanding, acceptance, and responses have a significant impact on
the success and the rate of settlement. Furthermore, immigrants do not
all progress at the same pace or move from one stage to the next automatically.
Definition of Settlement Services
Settlement services are specialized interventions
or activities designed to achieve the goals of immigrant and refugee
settlement through orientation, adaptation and integration.
A distinction can be made between service types, or modalities, and
service areas. The main service types are initial assessment,
orientation information, enhanced information, referral, access to services
and advocacy, counselling support and crisis intervention, case management,
and community development. The chart below briefly describes the Service
Types and Areas. (Mercer, 2002)
Service Type and Description
1) Initial Assessment
- Providing an initial client assessment to determine
client needs & appropriate services.
- Facilitating the planning process with clients
to develop an initial plan and implementation strategies for settlement.
2) Orientation Information
- Providing clients with introductory and/or basic
information on norms, services, and systems in a variety of service
areas, including agency services & role.
3) Enhanced Information
- Providing clients with detailed information
and/or guidance to help them navigate through processes in a variety
of service areas.
4) Referral
- Researching information.
- Referring clients to relevant services and/or
resources within the agency or broader community according to their
identified need(s).
5) Service Access & Advocacy
- Helping clients access services and community
resources:
- Cross-cultural Orientation & Mediation
- Interpretation
- Translation
- Making appointments
- Clarifying information
- Filling out forms
- Writing letters
- Providing orientation to community service providers
on the needs of client groups; working with them & others to service
gaps and remove barriers in accessibility and eligibility for individual
clients. i) Household management & safety: nutrition, budgeting,
identifying low-cost resources, consumer and other life skills.
Services areas for service types 1 through
5
a) Accommodation: securing an appropriate residence,
understanding tenant or homeowner rights & responsibilities.
b) Banking, financial services & taxation systems.
c) Civic participation & citizenship: understanding
government structures & election processes, rights and responsibilities
of citizenship, becoming a citizen.
d) Community participation: locating and accessing
recreational, socio-cultural & religious services.
e) Education & training: locating and enrolling
children and/or adults in public/private education; various adult language,
post-secondary education & specialized training programs.
f) Employment: obtaining SIN, job search, career
exploration, resume writing, credential evaluation & recognition,
employment standards, self-employment, starting a business, work permits
for refugee claimants, workplace adjustment.
g) Socio-cultural & family adjustment: social
norms, cultural gaps, settlement process, parenting, intergenerational
issues, gender issues, daycare services, and introduction to family support
services.
h) Health & well-being: medical services & insurance,
mental health, trauma support, winter preparedness, etc.
j) Immigration & family reunification: maintaining
or changing existing immigration status; refugee determination; sponsorship;
family reunification; applying for student, visitor & employment
visas.
k) Legal rights & responsibilities: understanding
laws pertaining to marriage, child welfare, property, rental, criminality,
discrimination, human rights, police & judicial systems; introduction
to legal services.
l) Social benefits: understanding and accessing
various benefits such as “Child Tax Credit”, CPP, OAS, E.I.
and other employment related benefits.
m) Transportation & Travel: using public transit
systems, obtaining a driver’s license & insurance, securing
travel documents, such as a passport.
Service Type & Description
6) Counselling Support & Crisis Intervention
- Providing para-professional counselling support
to deal with various stresses resulting from migration.
7) Case Management
- Participating in case management and conferring
with other service providers.
Service Area & Illustrative Activities
a) Culture shock and cross-cultural issues
b) Family disputes & violence
c) Parenting & child welfare issues
d) Issues of racism
e) Workplace issues
f) Mental health
Service Type & Description
8) Community Development
- Fostering or increasing the capacity of the
larger community to meet client needs.
- Providing support through the creation of resources
and the provision of expertise necessary to support service delivery.
Service Area & Illustrative Activities
a) Client community leadership development, development
of new community networks, and mutual support groups.
b) Interagency networking & collaboration,
professional development, consultation with community and governments
to enhance the development of the settlement sector.
c) Host community: public education and cross-cultural
sensitization.
Ninety-four percent of the respondents to the questionnaire support
the above descriptions of service types, and 93 percent agree with the
descriptions of service areas. This indicates that these are typical
situations in the vast majority of agencies.
Not all settlement agencies are expected to provide all of the listed
service types. As a result of client needs in some locations, or the
availability of resources in an agency or in the community, some agencies
may provide only a few services or specialize in some areas.
The descriptions of service types do not include services like language
and employment programs, Host and volunteer programs, or family counselling
support programs.
While this discussion document focuses on individual agencies and programs,
it is important not to lose sight of the larger picture. Working Group
IV has also recommended the coordination of an overall strategy in service
development at the policy and funding levels. While some programs may
be delivered only by governments, there must be coordination in order
to prevent compartmentalization of services. Furthermore, at the service
delivery level, agencies may opt for an integrated model in which staff
from various programs and services work jointly as a service delivery
team to uphold standards and enhance agency cohesiveness.
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