ARCHIVED – Support services
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New for 2024 Call for proposals
- Introduction of Digital Supports as a new Support Service for eligible clients who have demonstrated a need for help navigating and accessing IRCC-funded remote settlement services
Further details are available on this page. Applicants are responsible for reading the funding guidelines in full.
Description
Support Services eliminate barriers to accessing the Settlement Program to ensure equitable access to all IRCC-funded settlement services for eligible clients. These barrier-reducing services are always provided in conjunction with a direct service under the Settlement Program.
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 is one IRCC expected immediate outcome related to support services.
Access to IRCC-funded services is facilitated
If any of the following eligible support-service activities are part of the proposal, clearly describe how it will specifically contribute to this outcome. For example, describe how child care services will support service access; how transportation provided will facilitate accessing services; how translation or interpretation, or both, will support client understanding of services provided to ensure full participation; how short-term counselling will ensure that clients are able to participate in settlement services with more comfort; how the provision of disability supports will be addressed; how digital supports will ensure that barriers to the access of services are eliminated. This should include an outline of requirements for the delivery of a digital device library.
Each eligible support service activity has to be associated with the above IRCC expected immediate outcome. When a support service activity is selected in the application, the applicable IRCC expected immediate outcome will automatically populate.
For more information on outcomes please refer to the Outcomes Guidance.
Eligible activities
1. Childcare
Care for newcomer children (CNC) of eligible clients, or licensed child care options, including long-term child care (supporting ongoing parent participation in programming such as language training) and short-term child care (supporting occasional activities such as group orientations and individual settlement service appointments). Childcare may be only delivered in-person.
2. Oral Interpretation
Oral interpretation to or from English or French, offered to eligible clients to meet their immediate settlement needs. For example, to facilitate access to schools or to other IRCC-funded services.
3. Provisions for Disabilities
Supports or services that enable eligible clients with disabilities access to IRCC-funded settlement services. For example, the provision of visual aids, speech devices, non-prescription hearing aids, transportation assistance, wheelchair ramps or sign language interpretation.
4. Short-term Counselling
Non-clinical counselling interventions offered to eligible clients experiencing an urgent need for advice and support, to increase their access to an IRCC-funded settlement service. For example, to help address challenging circumstances clients may be facing and which are preventing them from advancing their settlement objectives.
5. Written Translation
Written translation to or from English or French, offered to eligible clients to meet their immediate settlement needs. For example, materials to support proof of employment-related credentials or materials related to referrals to health care providers, social services, child care or education.
6. Transportation
Transportation supports to assist eligible clients in participating in settlement services. For example, bus tickets, passes, transportation tokens. Taxis or car rentals and shuttle services may be considered eligible on a case-by-case basis where public transportation is not feasible.
7. New for CFP 2024: Digital Supports
Digital supports for eligible clients who need assistance in accessing any IRCC-funded settlement services being delivered remotely. Digital supports can take on two forms:
- Digital skills supports: sessions/assistance for eligible clients who have demonstrated a need for help navigating online/digital technologies in order to access IRCC-funded settlement services; and
- The provision of digital devices: in the form of an IRCC-funded loan of laptops, tablets and cell phones, to eligible clients who do not have their own device, do not have access to a device through other means (e.g., a school or library), and who require one to be able to access an IRCC-funded digital settlement service.
Note: Digital literacy is its own distinct term, pertaining to the ability to use technology or the internet in the most appropriate way for personal or professional purposes (e.g. knowing appropriate use of social media). Digital literacy activities are not an eligible support service under digital supports. Recipients should work with organizations funded under other Government of Canada programs that support digital literacy to respond to broader client needs.
Digital devices are loaned when needed and are only for the duration that clients are accessing specific direct settlement services, not for the duration that the individual continues to be a client of the service provider organization (SPO). The SPO should have a tracking policy in place for loaned digital devices.
Support services are also provided to facilitate access to Resettlement Assistance Program services as part of the Immediate and Essential Services delivered by resettlement service providers. Support services under the Resettlement Assistance Program are to be funded separately through a resettlement proposal. Learn more about the Resettlement Assistance Program and associated support services.
Mode of delivery
In recognition that in-person services can be necessary to mitigate barriers to services for some clients, in-person services are prioritized for the delivery of Support Services. This specifically applies to Child Care and Transportation services. For other services, other formats may be used at the discretion of the service provider organization as follows:
- Oral interpretation and short term counselling may be delivered:
- In-person
- Remote (online/digital) staff led
- Remotely via phone
- Provisions for disabilities, digital supports, and written translation may be delivered:
- In-person
- Remote (online/digital) staff led
- Remotely via email, text, and phone (with the exception of written translation)
Applicants will also need to consider who the client audience will be for each of the project activities being proposed (more than one audience may be selected per activity):
- For Direct Services: Group, individual, or family
- For Indirect Services: Individual organizations, local non-settlement partner(s), entire sector, or community or service area
Eligible clients
As per section 3.7 of the Settlement Program Terms and Conditions, only the following persons are eligible to receive settlement services:
- Permanent residents of Canada;
- Protected persons as defined in Section 95 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
- Individuals who have been selected, inside or outside Canada, to become permanent residents (pending verifications) and who have been informed by a letter from IRCC;
- Convention refugees and protected persons outside Canada who have been selected for resettlement in Canada by IRCC; and
- Temporary foreign workers who hold or received approval of a work permit under section 112 or received initial approval for permanent residence under section 113 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
- Temporary residents (and their dependents) who have received confirmation of a complete Application for Permanent Residence under the Atlantic Immigration Program are deemed eligible to receive support services that enable clients to access services, needs and assets assessment and referrals, information and orientation and community connections program components [3.3 a), b), c) and f)].
- Temporary residents who have received confirmation of a complete Application for Permanent Residence under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (and their dependents) are deemed eligible to receive support services that enable clients to access services, needs and assets assessment and referrals, information and orientation, and community connections program components [3.3 a), b), c) and f)], as authorized by Ministerial Instructions [14.1 IRPA] for the duration of the pilot.
Additional Information
- Eligible persons include both the principal applicant and eligible dependants (spouse and children).
Restrictions
- Except as set out above, Canadian citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible persons. However, the Settlement Program provides opportunities for citizens and other residents of Canada to participate in the provision of settlement services to clients as volunteers.
Eligible applicants for funding
Eligible applicants for funding for 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.
How we assess applications for these services
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 these services must:
- Apply to deliver Support Services in conjunction with a direct service under the Settlement Program.
- Demonstrate how they will enhance partnerships between levels of government, community service providers, and Canada’s mental health sector for the delivery of short-term non-clinical counselling. To note, short-term non-clinical counselling should be directly connected to increasing access to an IRCC-funded settlement service, limited in the number of counseling sessions, and undertaken by an individual with training (for example The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Refugee Mental Health Project, Mental Health First Aid, or certified counsellor).
- Demonstrate expertise in, or partnerships with organizations with expertise in supporting diverse populations, including newcomer women, seniors, youth, racialized newcomers, Francophone minority language communities, 2SLGBTQI+, and newcomers with disabilities.
- Demonstrate that adequate privacy and cybersecurity infrastructures and policies are in place for those applying for funding to provide digital supports.
Asset criteria
Proposals demonstrating the following may be prioritized for funding. Applicants for this service should include a description of the following experience or capacity, as applicable:
- 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.
Examples of quality projects
- A service provider organization offering direct settlement services also provides the client with an IRCC-funded loaner laptop for an agreed-upon period, to enable the client to access a digitally delivered IRCC-funded direct settlement service. The service provider also offers support to the client in navigating the platform/technology/internet (e.g. Zoom) needed to access the digital IRCC-funded direct settlement service (e.g. an online language training class).
- A service provider organization offering direct settlement services also delivers trauma-informed short-term non-clinical counselling, to assist the client in addressing immediate, non-medical mental health needs so that they may resume their settlement pathway.
- A service provider organization is able to provide a range of disability supports, not limited to but including visual aids, speech devices, transportation assistance or sign language interpretation, to allow clients with a disability to participate in IRCC-funded settlement programming.
- A service provider organization integrates Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) in the design, implementation and evaluation of the proposed project(s), to meet the needs of diverse newcomer populations, including by leveraging partnerships with other service providers, across sectors and the community at large, and to increase access to community services and provide targeted programming for populations that experience distinct challenges to integration. For more information on GBA Plus, please refer to the funding guidelines overview.
References for applicants
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