National Initiatives

National Settlement Service and Standards Framework

Section 5
Settlement Service Sector Profile and Recognition

Conclusions

Settlement Service Sector Profile and Recognition

The agencies surveyed generally feel that the profile and recognition of the settlement sector is not as high as it can and ought to be. There has been some discussion about the establishment of a national umbrella body for the settlement sector. While a slight majority of respondents to the questionnaire are satisfied with the current level of outreach to new immigrants and refugees to inform them about settlement services, more than half of the respondents are dissatisfied with the current level of collaboration with other sectors.

The majority of respondents feel that the settlement sector needs to do more advocacy with politicians and various levels of government to gain legitimacy and funding support. The establishment of standards would contribute to the sector’s credibility so that it could gain recognition in the social service sector.

The main purposes of increasing the profile and recognition of the settlement sector are as follows:

1. To legitimize it and institutionalize it in the same way as social work or other social services;
2. To inform the average Canadian of the huge impact of the sector on Canadian society and the benefits of having well-adjusted immigrants;
3. To demonstrate benefits of immigration to Canada;
4. To increase awareness and acceptance of the settlement sector among Canadians, and to increase voluntarism in the sector;
5. To enhance communication among the settlement sector and other social service providers, as well as with related professions;
6. To increase government perception (at all levels, and among immigration policy-makers in particular) of the importance of settlement practitioners in the adaptation and integration of newcomers; and
7. To attract highly qualified professionals so that their skills and abilities can benefit the settlement sector.

The key targets for increasing the visibility of the sector are as follows:

1. Social service providers, anti-racism organizations, and social justice organizations;
2. Labour organizations, employers, and employers’ associations;
3. Government at all levels, members of Parliament, and provincial legislatures;
4. Health care sector, educators, lawyers, police services, etc.; and
5. The general public through such means as the mass media.

While the majority of respondents agree with the necessity for a national body dedicated to settlement issues in order to raise the profile of, and support for, the settlement sector, those in agreement also raise a significant number of concerns. They include added bureaucracy, potential duplication of the role of the Canadian Council for Refugees and provincial umbrella groups, as well as draining of limited resources away from direct services. Questions were also raised about the mandate, power, and nature of such a body, its inclusiveness, and usefulness to smaller centres. Others expressed the need for a professional association of settlement workers. Evidently, further dialogue needs to occur around the fundamental concept and parameters of such a national body.

Above and beyond the creation of a new structure, the settlement sector could also explore other effective means to increase the profile and recognition of the settlement sector. Some organizations are already using newsletters, Web sites, mass media and other practical means to raise awareness about settlement agencies and issues in the local community. Fine-tuning the use of the existing tools to connect with specific sectors or groups, and project collaboration with other sectors may be viable alternatives. However, in order to raise the profile and recognition of the settlement sector significantly, the settlement sector must develop a clear vision and strategy with concerted and sustained efforts.

Conclusion

At the current stage in the development of the settlement sector, a dialogue on standards is helping to create a commitment to common values and principles, a common vocabulary, and overall greater coherence in the sector. It appears appropriate for standards to be adopted on a voluntary basis, or used as a tool to enhance the operations of settlement agencies, as well as to create common language and a greater consistency in the sector.

A number of concrete actions can be undertaken in the near future by the settlement service sector, such as the following:

• Establish immediate, medium-term, and long-term outcome indicators of settlement to be measured and evaluated, using the selection criteria in the document;
  
• Discuss training, human resource, and financial implications of establishing minimum core competencies for settlement counsellors;
  
• Discuss core competencies for other key positions in the settlement sector, as categorized in Appendix C;
  
• Conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of minimum service standards for settlement services across Canada, including, but not limited to, human resource and financial implications, organization capacity building, case loads, time ratio to be spent in direct and administrative service, and clients’ code of rights to access settlement services.

There are agencies prepared to pilot the process and determine the level of resources and time required to implement core competencies for staff, as well as minimum program and organizational standards. Such a pilot would demonstrate the feasibility, as well as resources required to implement the framework for accountability and standards in the settlement service sector.

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