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Evaluation of the Host Program

1. Introduction

1.1. Background

In support of its overall mission to facilitate the arrival of people and their integration into Canada and to reach out to all Canadians and foster increased intercultural understanding and an integrated society, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) offers various programs to assist newcomers through the settlement - integration continuum.

Traditionally, CIC delivered three main settlement programs, including the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Program, which focused on language training; the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) which provided structured services to address newcomers’ needs; and the Host Program which matched newcomers with Canadian volunteers.

Integration is a two-way process that encourages adjustments on the part of both newcomers and the host society. Ultimately, the goal is to support newcomers to become fully engaged in the economic, social, political and cultural life of Canada. The two-way process also impacts the receiving society. The Host Program is the only volunteer-based settlement program funded by CIC and it is designed to support the process of integration as a two-way process involving both Canadians and newcomers.

CIC does not directly deliver the Host Program to newcomers, rather, it provides contribution finding to Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) and other community-based agencies that deliver services at a local level directly to newcomers. A detailed description of the Host Program is provided in Section 3.

In 2008, CIC modernized its approach to settlement with the intention to better respond to newcomer needs and support their improved settlement and longer-term integration. The modernized approach includes a set of revised Terms and Conditions for settlement funding, a structure for policy, program development and service delivery, and an accountability regime for achieving and reporting results.Footnote 1

1.2. Purpose of the evaluation

The objective of this evaluation is to provide an evidence-based assessment of the relevance, implementation, results and design of the Host Program. The evaluation covered five years (from April 2004 to March 2009). This period extends before and during implementation of the modernized approach, which reorganized CIC settlement programs under one single Settlement Program with various activity streams. Notwithstanding the merging of the programs, this evaluation focuses on the traditional Host Program as per requirements outlined in the original funding arrangement. The evaluation examined delivery of the Program in all provinces and territories for which the federal government (CIC) has the sole or joint responsibility for management of the settlement program.Footnote 2

The following table presents the evaluation issues and questions related to the Host Program.

Table 1-1: Host Program Evaluation questions
Relevance
  • Is there a continuing need for the Host Program or a similar initiative?
  • Is the Program aligned with government priorities?
  • Is the Host Program consistent with federal roles and responsibilities?
Implementation
  • Do the SPOs recruit and prepare volunteers and clients to enable their effective participation in the Host Program?
  • Do the SPOs provide and support relevant and timely individual matches and group activities?
Results
  • Has participation in the Host Program facilitated the settlement and adaptation of its clients?
  • Has participation in the Host Program facilitated the development of, and engagement in social and professional networks?
  • Has participation in the Host Program led to mutual cultural awareness and acceptance between volunteers and clients? Were there any unexpected outcomes of the Host Program?
Design
  • Does CIC design and manage the Program to enable its effective and accountable delivery?
  • Do the Program delivery partners have the necessary capacity to deliver the Program?
  • Does the Program use the most efficient methods to meet its objectives?
  • What are the best practices that may inform the Program design and delivery?

1.3. Structure of the report

The report is organized in five main sections. Following the introduction, Section 2 describes the evaluation methodology. Section 3 describes the Host Program in terms of its history, objectives, delivery, clients, services and budget. Section 4 of the report provides the evaluation findings and Section 5 presents the overall conclusions.

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