ARCHIVED – Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Initiative
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New for 2024 Call for proposals
- Refinements to the initiative have been made as a result of the 2022 Evaluation of the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Initiative.
- SWIS-TÉÉ is now included as a direct service under the Settlement Program with a new list of eligible activities, both direct and indirect.
- Establishment of National Coordinating Bodies and Regional Coordinators for both SWIS and TÉÉ to improve national coherence, and ensure consistent service delivery.
Further details are available on this page. Applicants are responsible for reading the funding guidelines in full.
Description
The Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Initiative – L’initiative des travailleurs et des travailleuses d’établissement dans les écoles (TÉÉ) provides school-based settlement programming to support the integration of newcomer students and their families while fostering inclusion and intercultural competence within the education system.
TÉÉ is the equivalent of SWIS for French-speaking students and their families. TÉÉ services are offered in French and are adapted to the needs of French-speaking clients. In support of the Francophone Integration Pathway, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is committed to the principle of “par et pour les Francophones” ensuring that services for French-speaking newcomers are offered by Francophone organizations. As a result, French-speaking clients should be referred to Francophone organizations and priority for funding applications including services in French will primarily be given to Francophone service providers.
SWIS-TÉÉ workers offer:
- Newcomer students and their parents/guardians the opportunity to orient to the education system and get connected with the broader community.
- School staff (teachers and administration) and the broader student body the opportunity to build an inclusive environment through intercultural competence.
SWIS-TÉÉ is targeted specifically for:
- All newcomer students and their parents/guardians.
- School staff and the broader student body.
For SWIS and TÉÉ:
- All newcomer students (regardless of immigration status) and their parents/guardians are eligible to be served. This is due to the contributions of schools and other partners.
New for CFP 2024: TÉÉ funding applicants may provide services in French-language schools and French immersion schools as needed to serve newcomer students and their families.
There may be some variations or differences in service delivery between SWIS and TÉÉ based on client needs to ensure flexibility.
Expected outcomes
IRCC expected immediate outcomes, as described in the (Re)Settlement Program Logic Model, are written to capture the overall results for all projects that deliver a particular line of service.
There are 2 IRCC expected immediate outcomes related to SWIS-TÉÉ services:
1. Newcomer students and their parents/guardians gain ability to function within the school and education system and increase settlement knowledge
Funding applicants must clearly describe how the activities will specifically contribute to this outcome. For example, describe how newcomer students’ engagement in the school system via the provision of information will improve their education outcomes, or how familiarizing and involving parents/guardians in school activities and community resources will support the newcomer and their children’s success, or both.
2. Non-settlement partners improve capacity to provide support to diverse groups of newcomers across all sectors, in large, medium and small communities, including Francophone Minority Communities
Funding applicants must clearly show how it will specifically contribute to this outcome. For example, describe how activities will improve the understanding of the benefits of diversity, the unique challenges faced by newcomer students, and the intercultural competency of school staff and the broader student body to create conditions for newcomer success.
Each eligible SWIS-TÉÉ activity is associated with one of the above IRCC expected immediate outcomes. When a SWIS-TÉÉ activity is selected in the Grants and Contributions (GCS) online application form, the applicable IRCC expected immediate outcome will automatically populate.
For more information on outcomes please refer to the Outcomes Guidance.
Eligible activities
Depending on the focus of the activity and client group (newcomer students or parents/guardians), activities are divided into settlement oriented services or school oriented services. The GCS activity selection will either be Student Services – Settlement Oriented or Parent/Guardian Services – Settlement Oriented or Student Services – School-Oriented or Parent/Guardian Services – School Oriented.
Please note the list of examples provided is not exhaustive. These activities are designed to complement other systems and services. Applicants must indicate what already exists in their community and identify the gap(s) their proposal will address. Basic Information and Orientation should be provided to all clients on the broader services available in their community.
Settlement Oriented Services
The following services are available to both newcomer students and parents/guardians:
- Needs and Assets Assessment and Referral Services (NAARS). SWIS-TÉÉ service providers are required to work in collaboration with the Dedicated NAARS Service provider (DNS) as well as the local exempted service providers of the DNS model to avoid service duplication by: (1) joining the DNS Community of Practice in their zone if it exists; and (2) signing information sharing agreements together to ensure proper portability of settlement plans.
- Resources or sessions on settlement-oriented topics, or both (when referrals are not available to other service providers).
The following services are available only to newcomer students:
- Bridging supports to facilitate labour market access (e.g. referrals to: vocational training, employment preparation training services, work placements, retention support for newcomer youth and employers) which are intended to support newcomer youth as they transition from high school to employment pathways.
- Informal language learning when facilitated by a SWIS-TÉÉ worker to develop the confidence and comfort needed to communicate in English or French, or both (e.g. conversation cafe; literacy workshop; book club).
- After-school activities when facilitated by a SWIS-TÉÉ worker to promote extracurricular involvement, social connections, civic engagement and volunteerism (e.g. homework clubs; sports and recreation; spring and summer camps; service projects such as working in a community garden or soup kitchen).
School Oriented Services
The following services are available to both newcomer students and parents/guardians:
- Orientation to the school system (e.g. assistance with school registration; tours; information sharing; etc.). Activities occur at the beginning of the school year ranging from half to full day activities to longer programming based on the school context. Orientation activities may engage Peer Leaders
Note: Peer Leaders are established immigrant students who have experienced many of the same challenges and barriers as students coming into the school system, and act as positive role models. - Resources or sessions, or both on school-oriented topics (e.g. digital literacy; mental health; bullying; gangs; drugs; healthy communication; conflict resolution).
- Engagement and liaising (e.g. keeping channels of communication open; building intercultural understanding; providing resources and referrals; offering support to access scholarships/grants and explore post-secondary options).
- Wrap-around services to address high needs (e.g. risk of dropping out of school due to homelessness, family violence, mental health issues, etc.) when newcomer students and their families are not able to access support through NAARS referral to Case Management services.
Note: In smaller centres and rural or remote locations, SWIS-TÉÉ workers can provide resources or sessions (or both) to newcomer students and parents/guardians on broader settlement topics as needed.
The following services are available only to newcomer students:
- Peer Support for Youth (one-to-one and group sessions) when organized or facilitated by a SWIS-TÉÉ worker. Peer Support can include elements of informal mentorship, life skills, leadership development, and social connection. Peer Support (one-to-one) includes both same-age matches and cross-age matches with other newcomer youth, Canadian and long-term residents, or Peer Leaders). Peer Support Groups are facilitated by a SWIS-TÉÉ worker or Peer Leader and bring together youth with common experiences.
Eligible Indirect Activities for Organizations Delivering Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Initiative
Community Engagement
Description of activity
- Engagement with school staff, including meetings and sessions to improve intercultural competence and build inclusive spaces (e.g. healthy communication; conflict resolution; bystander training) in order to facilitate long-term systemic shifts that support newcomers in the school.
- Engagement with the broader student body, including meetings and sessions to improve intercultural competence and build inclusive spaces (e.g. training and resource sharing for Peer Leaders and students involved in Peer Support) in order to address both acute and chronic barriers to newcomer integration into the school.
Eligible Indirect Activities with a national or sector scope
Please refer to the Indirect Services with a national or sector focus funding guidelines for more details on the following activities. If you wish to apply, you need to submit a separate application.
Eligible activities for national coordinating bodies
SWIS national coordinating body (for services in English)
- Collaborate with the TÉÉ National Coordinating Body and the SWIS Regional Coordinators to ensure consistent service delivery.
- Address issues that are national in scope.
- Develop mechanisms for sharing best practices, resources, and materials.
- Assess needs and set standards for professional development (PD) for SWIS workers. If needed, deliver national-level professional development for SWIS workers. Please note the list of PD examples provided is not exhaustive (e.g. intercultural competence; trauma-informed practice; mental health first aid; anti-oppressive facilitation skills; mindfulness and well-being; nonviolent crisis intervention; advocacy and empowerment; child and youth suicide prevention; professional boundaries and self-care).
- Maintain service mapping/registry for SWIS services.
TÉÉ national coordinating body (for services in French)
- Collaborate with the SWIS National Coordinating Body and TÉÉ Regional Coordinators to ensure consistent service delivery.
- Address issues that are national in scope.
- Develop mechanisms for sharing best practices, resources, and materials.
- Assess needs and set standards for professional development (PD) for TÉÉ workers. If needed, deliver national-level professional development for TÉÉ workers. Please note the list of PD examples provided is not exhaustive (e.g. intercultural competence; trauma-informed practice; mental health first aid; anti-oppressive facilitation skills; mindfulness and well-being; nonviolent crisis intervention; advocacy and empowerment; child and youth suicide prevention; professional boundaries and self-care; etc.).
- Maintain service mapping/registry for TÉÉ services
Eligible Activities for SWIS regional coordinators (for services in English)
- Liaise with National Coordinating Body, SWIS service providers and workers to support optimal service delivery.
- Implement solutions to local and regional issues.
- Convene spaces for networking and knowledge transfer among SWIS workers (virtual or in-person); assessing trends and highlighting best practices.
- Coordinate or deliver (or do both) professional development for SWIS workers (based on standards set by the National Coordinating Bodies). Regional Coordinators are required to work in collaboration with SWIS service providers to avoid duplication with the training they offer.
- Provide information for service mapping/registry for SWIS services.
Eligible Activities for TÉÉ Regional Coordinators (for services in French)
- Liaise with National Coordinating Body, TÉÉ service providers and workers to support optimal service delivery.
- Implement solutions to local and regional issues.
- Convene spaces for networking and knowledge transfer among TÉÉ workers (virtual or in-person); assessing trends and highlighting best practices.
- Coordinate or deliver professional development for TÉÉ, or do both (based on standards set by the National Coordinating Bodies). Regional Coordinators are required to work in collaboration with SWIS service providers to avoid duplication with the training they offer.
- Provide information for service mapping/registry for TÉÉ services.
Mode of delivery
In-Person Services are prioritized for the SWIS-TÉÉ Initiative. However, Remote Services, may be provided at the discretion of the SWIS-TÉÉ service provider to address client needs. Details are as follows.
Needs and Assets Assessment and Referrals Services (NAARS) may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
Bridging supports to facilitate labour market access may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
- Remotely via email/text/phone
Informal language learning may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
After-school activities may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
Orientation to the school system may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
Resources or sessions (or both) on school-oriented topics may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
- Remotely via email/text/phone
Engagement and liaison may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
- Remotely via email/text/phone
Wrap-around Services to address high needs may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
- Remotely via email/text/phone
Peer Support for Youth (one-to-one and group sessions) may be delivered:
- In person
- Remotely (online/digital) – staff led
- Remotely via email/text/phone
Funding applicants will also need to consider who the client audience will be for each of the project activities being proposed in their online application form (more than one audience may be selected per activity):
- For Direct Services: Group, Individual, or Family
- For Indirect Services: Individual Organizations, Local Non-Settlement Service Delivery Partner(s), Entire Sector, or Community or Service Area
Eligible clients
SWIS-TÉÉ is targeted specifically for:
- All newcomer students and their parents/guardians.
- School staff and the broader student body.
For SWIS and TÉÉ:
- All newcomer students (regardless of immigration status) and their parents/guardians are eligible to be served. This is due to the contributions of schools and other partners.
Eligible applicants for funding
Eligible applicants for funding these settlement services are:
- municipal governments;
- not for profit organizations including non-governmental organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups, umbrella organizations, regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities;
- businesses, including those that provide indirect services (e.g. employers hiring newcomers, private language schools, conference organizers, web or production firms for tool development); and
- educational institutions (including school boards, districts and divisions).
Restrictions
- For-profit organizations may be eligible for funding provided that the nature and the intent of the activity is non-commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports IRCC Program priorities and objectives.
- Eligible applicants for funding for SWIS-TÉÉ include:
- (1) school boards, districts or divisions; and
- (2) Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) (e.g. settlement-specific or community organizations) that have partnerships with schools.
- Please note that post-secondary institutions (universities and colleges) are not eligible applicants or locations for SWIS-TÉÉ services.
Organizational and community capacity
Capacity to build strong relationships with SWIS-TÉÉ partners must be demonstrated in applications for funding (e.g. for SPO applicants, partnerships with schools).
How we assess applications for this service
Mandatory and asset criteria
Your application should describe how your project aligns with and supports the expected outcomes.
All applications
All applications will be assessed according to the CORE criteria
- Client-centered;
- Outcomes-driven;
- Responsive to needs; and
- Effective use of resources
Applications will also be assessed against Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) criteria. More information about the CORE and EDI criteria.
Mandatory criteria
In addition to meeting the CORE and EDI criteria, applicants for this service must:
- Demonstrate expertise in, or partnerships with organizations with expertise in supporting diverse populations, including newcomer women, youth, racialized newcomers, Francophone minority language communities, 2SLGBTQI+ newcomers, and newcomers with disabilities.
- Propose strategies to enhance collaboration and develop strong partnerships among service delivery partners (e.g. SPOs, school staff (teachers and administration), SWIS-TÉÉ workers, Regional Coordinators, and the National Coordinating Body for SWIS or TÉÉ.
Asset criteria
Proposals demonstrating the following maybe prioritized for funding. Applicants for this service should include a description of the following experience or capacity, as applicable:
- co-design of services through engagement, consultation, or co-creation with clients (i.e. newcomer youth are more likely to participate when SWIS-TÉÉ service providers have involved them in the development/delivery of services).
- cross-sector partnerships, including with Indigenous Peoples and communities, organizations that provide a capacity-building and professional development role within the settlement sector (e.g. Umbrella Organizations), organizations with expertise working with specific populations (e.g. racialized populations) or on specific issues (e.g. advancing substantive gender equality and women’s empowerment).
- GBA Plus in the design, implementation and evaluation of the project(s). Please refer back to the overview of funding guidelines overview for more information on GBA Plus.
Example of quality projects
- The SWIS-TÉÉ worker offers services for parents/guardians and children/youth clients for effective integration into the school system. NAARS is provided and the Settlement Plan guides service delivery. Families receive information and resources on both school-oriented topics and broader settlement-oriented topics since the school is in a rural location and referrals to other service providers are not available. Newcomer students receive support from Peer Leaders who assist the SWIS-TÉÉ worker as guides through orientation programming. Parents/guardians also participate in school orientation activities. The SWIS-TÉÉ worker continually engages with parents/guardians, students, and school staff to build shared understanding and address conflict. Youth clients benefit from Peer Support, participate in conversation cafes, and receive bridging supports for post-secondary transitions. The SWIS-TÉÉ worker provides wrap-around services as needed when clients cannot access Case Management.
- The SWIS-TÉÉ worker liaises with school staff and provides training to ensure that teachers and administration are culturally sensitive and skilled in working with diverse newcomer populations. They periodically attend school assemblies and staff meetings and lead a series of workshops for the broader student body throughout the year. Sessions are focused on building self-awareness, developing intercultural competence, and promoting inclusion. SWIS-TÉÉ workers regularly provide bystander training to ensure that school staff and the broader student body can intervene to address harassment or potentially harmful situations in a way that positively influences the outcome. The SWIS-TÉÉ worker provides training and shares resources for Peer Leaders and students from the broader student body to engage them in Peer Support (one to one and group sessions).
References for applicants
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