Summary Report: Consultations on Priorities for the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program 2019 National Call for Proposals

Table of Contents

• Overview and Context
• Consultation Methods and Key Findings
  • 1. National Settlement Council “Plus” Meeting
  • 2. Regional Consultations
  • 3. Consultations with Francophone and Acadian communities
  • 4. Online Consultation Survey
• Summary: Emerging Themes
• Appendix 1: The Settlement and Integration Vision
• Appendix 2: Survey
• Appendix 3: CORE Principles

Overview and Context

Consultations were held over the summer and fall of 2018 on the priorities for the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program 2019 National Call for Proposals. The objectives of these consultations were to:

• Collect insight and obtain input from participants on recommended priorities for the National Call for Proposals for the Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs.
• Build a shared vision for the settlement and integration of newcomers that could then be realized through the Settlement Program and its priorities.

The approach was designed to ensure representation from a large range and number of stakeholders.

Consultation Methods and Key Findings

N.B The findings summarized in this report reflect only the views of the participants from the consultations. The findings do not represent the views of the entire Canadian population or of all IRCC stakeholders.

1. National Settlement Council “Plus” Meeting

The official consultation cycle was launched on June 14, 2018, with the National Settlement Council (NSC) “Plus”, a special meeting of the NSC membership along with additional invited stakeholders and partners.

There were over 140 attendees engaged over the two-day event. The list of attendees included:

• Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs)
• Réseaux en immigration francophone (RIFs)
• Settlement service providers from smaller centres
• Employment sector council representatives
• National-level community organizations
• Representatives from organizations representing marginalized/vulnerable groups

Note: National-level Indigenous organizations were invited, but were unable to attend.

The discussion at the NSC “Plus” meeting was built around two important concepts:

1. the shared vision for settlement and integration (see Appendix 1)
2. the CORE principles (see Appendix 3)

Feedback from the discussions at NSC “Plus” fell into three main thematic areas:

The Client Pathway: Newcomers can be empowered in their settlement experience by having tailored settlement and integration plans that are anchored in their needs, assets and competencies. The measures of success for settlement and integration plans need to be client-specific and defined individually.

Refugees, women, LGBQT2+, youth, high-skilled and Francophone immigrants all have unique needs and competencies, which must be acknowledged. Successful programming needs to be anchored in their voices and perspectives. The voice of the newcomer is vital to shaping policy and programming for settlement and integration.

Integrated Services Across Sectors: Systemic barriers are a significant obstacle for newcomers and need to be addressed across all sectors in collaborative ways. Targeted, culturally-appropriate support and services need to be provided, not once, but throughout a newcomer’s journey.

Stakeholders commented that “community connection” activities produce beneficial impacts for both the newcomer and their communities. For instance, social networks built through community connections assist with language and soft-skills acquisition in newcomers, in addition to a sense of belonging and a chance to give back through volunteering and leadership roles.

Mental health capacity-building in the sector (for newcomers and also for those who provide services) was seen as a major priority moving forward. Equally important was improving accessibility to services, for vulnerable populations and for those in rural areas by using technology (including social media) and by providing more and better support services (for example, transportation or translation services).

Expanding Roles and Capacities: It was articulated that a “whole-of-society” approach, in which everyone is playing a part, leads to economic and social improvements across society. A significant part of this approach involves breaking down silos, promoting partnerships and collaboration amongst settlement service providers as well as between settlement service providers and others (such as employers, foundations, ethno-cultural organizations and faith organizations). Regional umbrella organizations that connect service providers were seen as being well-placed to take the lead in promoting collaboration.

Communities, and community-based organizations such as LIPs and RIFs, were identified as successfully working at the grassroots level to promote welcoming, inclusive environments. They were seen as important connectors for diverse sectors within a community, and as mobilisers of newcomers for volunteering and civic engagement. Community-level research and information sharing were emphasized as necessary for outcomes-driven programming.

Employers were highlighted as being stakeholders that should be targeted with a multi-pronged cbc.ca approach to bring them in at various programming stages – not only for employment-related services, but also for language training and community connections.

2. Regional Consultations

Following the NSC “Plus” meeting, there were 43 regional roundtables/summits held across Canada from August to October 2018. These were organized and hosted by umbrella organizations, with the exception of in Ontario, where they were hosted by Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) with validation by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI).

During regional consultations, the CORE principles (see Appendix 3) were used to guide discussions. Findings from these consultations aligned with those of the NSC “Plus” meeting. There was strong support for:

• Client-informed programming.
• Outcome measures that are based on research and newcomers’ definitions of success.
• Delivering services in a variety of formats to address individual and geographic variations.
• Engaging a full spectrum of stakeholders to make the most effective use of the resources available in the newcomer’s community.

Attraction and retention of newcomers, with an emphasis on improving the ability of communities to welcome and retain newcomers, were of particular importance to the Northern and Atlantic regions. To facilitate welcoming communities, a Northern Coordinator was proposed at the Northern Summit and Community Connections Checklist was proposed at the Prince Edward Island summit.

Building upon the success of the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) programming, the idea of Settlement Workers in Workplaces, was raised during the Ontario Region consultations. Consultation participants in British Columbia promoted the use of information hubs for newcomers, to simplify newcomer access to services. The Prairie region suggested a similar approach through employment centres of excellence.

There is a need for a more open funding envelope according to the regional consultations. For example, any lapsed funding should be reinvested in priority areas in each jurisdiction. Expanded eligibility for additional clients (e.g. international students), foreign credential recognition, pre-arrival services, and alternative financial services for newcomers (e.g. for affordable housing) were also identified as areas worth further consideration.

3. Consultations with Francophone and Acadian communities

The Department also consulted with Francophone and Acadian communities. In collaboration with the Réseaux en immigration francophone (RIFs), nine Francophone regional settlement summits were held across the country, gathering insight from more than 350 stakeholders.

The objective of the consultations was to work jointly with Francophone and Acadian communities to plan the implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future in support of the Francophone Integration Pathway. Most of the summits also included roundtable discussions on the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program 2019 National Call for Proposals

The main challenge identified for the Francophone settlement sector is systemic barriers. For example, service providers do not have access to professional development or standardized tools in French, which impacts the delivery of Francophone settlement services and the successful integration of French-speaking newcomers.

They also voiced a need to enhance the role of the RIFs and their national coordination. Suggestions presented during the consultations included expanding the RIFs’ mandate, strengthening the RIFs’ capacity to help them better deliver their mandate, and better equipping the RIFs by providing them with tools for collaboration and engagement.

With respect to Francophone services to newcomers, the consultations highlighted the need for professional development and training services adapted to a minority-community context, to help Francophone service providers to better understand and effectively support refugees and French-speaking newcomers settling in Francophone and Acadian communities. Standardized tools for the delivery of services to various French-speaking clients, increased access to networking and best practice sharing opportunities for Francophone settlement workers, and improved representation within the sector were also raised.

The co-planning work highlighted the need to implement a national approach, bringing Francophone service providers from across Canada together around the Francophone integration pathway. A national approach like this would consider both regional realities and be built on existing regional structures through the RIFs.

4. Online Consultation Survey

From October 18, 2018 until November 19, 2018, a large group of stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in the settlement and integration of newcomers, were invited to take part in an online consultation survey. The objective of the survey was to gauge support for the main programming themes from the NSC “Plus” meeting and the regional consultations. The survey allowed IRCC to obtain feedback from a larger field of stakeholders involved in integration, as well as those who may not have had the chance to participate in the in-person meetings.

The survey was sent to over 2600 individuals, representing approximately 1460 organizations, with 480 organizations providing input.

Overview of the Sample

480 organisations provided feedback, which included representation from, but not limited to:

• Settlement and resettlement organizations
• Employer associations
• Chambers of commerce or business councils
• Labour organizations
• Multicultural or ethno-cultural associations
• Municipalities
• Academics and think tanks
• Educational institutions

Of the 480 organizations, 70% were current Contribution Agreement holders (funding recipients) with IRCC. The Francophone sector represented 14% of the organisations. Almost half (46%) of all surveyed organisations indicated that they serve rural areas and/or small centres^{Footnote 1}. The breakdown of respondents by provinces was representative of the Canadian population except for Quebec, which was under-represented as it manages its own settlement and integration programming.

Key Survey Findings

N.B. The findings summarized in this section reflect just the views of those who participated in the survey. The summary should not be seen as representative of the views of the entire Canadian population or even of all IRCC stakeholders.

Support for Funding Priorities

Most stakeholders supported themes that emerged at the NSC “Plus” meeting and during regional consultations held across Canada (Table 1).

More than 95% of respondents agreed that:

• Knowledge sharing would lead to better programming.
• Stronger private sector partnerships are needed to effectively address the needs of newcomers and their host communities. Engagement with non-traditional stakeholders is key for integration.
• Explaining the benefits of immigration through public initiatives is important to creating more welcoming host communities.
• There is a strong need to address systemic barriers, such as discrimination.

Table 1

Client groups requiring specific programs

• In general, survey respondents strongly agreed (90% agreement and higher) that all of the current main components of the Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs were very important for newcomers’ settlement and integration. These included:
  • Resettlement assistance services for government-assisted refugees
  • Assessments of newcomers’ needs and referrals to services they need
  • Settlement-related information and orientation to help newcomers make informed settlement decisions
  • Language assessments and training
  • Services to equip newcomers with the skills, connections and support needed for employment
  • Community supports for integration of newcomers, and creation of personal and professional networks
  • Support services (for example, childcare, transportation, translation)
  • Indirect settlement services (for example, development of partnerships among organizations and capacity building)
• The top three groups identified in need of targeted resettlement, settlement and/or integration programing were:
  • youth at 77%;
  • lower-skilled immigrants at 74%, and;
  • women at 72%.

Table 2

Involvement of non-traditional actors

• There was strong support for more involvement of non-traditional actors in settlement and integration of newcomers.
• The following groups were identified as important for the settlement and integration process of newcomers:
  • employers (84%)
  • employer associations and economic development organizations (76%)
  • municipalities/regional administrations (75%)
  • professional development organizations (75%)

Supports for rural areas

• Most respondents were in agreement that rural areas require an array of supports for newcomer settlement and integration.
  • employment opportunities (91%)
  • access to language training (91%)
  • having access to Service Provider Organizations (90%)

Summary: Emerging Themes

Whole-of-society approach: Throughout the consultations, the most recurring theme that emerged was that successful settlement and integration requires a whole-of-society approach. One that involves engagement with and collaboration among all levels of government, the public and the private sector, communities and individuals. This reflected the shared vision for settlement and integration, which was discussed during the consultations.

Client-centred service models: Another strong theme was the need for service models that place the client at the centre of their own journey. This includes seeing newcomers as an asset to their community and creating ways for newcomers to give back, for example with the assistance of mentors and community navigators.

Programming by and for newcomers: Programming where clients are directly influencing the design and evaluation of settlement programming, was strongly supported throughout the consultations. Programming by and for newcomers is especially critical for clients who face multiple barriers and require recognition of their unique circumstances, such as refugees, visible minorities, women, youth, and LGBTQ2+.

Accessibility to services: Accessibility to services is especially important for those who are vulnerable, for instance refugee women, and those living in smaller centres or remote areas. This involves putting greater emphasis on support services, such as translation and transportation, building in greater flexibility around service delivery, and using technology more effectively.

Improved access to mental health supports: This includes culturally appropriate supports and services that are offered throughout a person’s settlement journey.

Increased dialogue and engagement between Indigenous peoples and newcomers: Such a dialogue could help increase recognition of possible common barriers and experiences of exclusion, and could help foster relationships of support amongst each other. Additionally, such a dialogue could help dispel myths that newcomers may have about Indigenous peoples.

Appendix 1: The Settlement and Integration Vision

Our vision is achieved through:

• Collaboration across all levels of government, civil society, and the private sector;
• Building welcoming communities responsive to newcomers’ needs and receptive to their talents;
• Programming that:
  • builds on the strengths of newcomers and the communities they now call home;
  • facilitates learning Canada’s official languages to maximize newcomers’ participation and contribution;
  • supports employment and entrepreneurship of newcomers to build a stronger economy;
  • addresses barriers to full participation in our society and is responsive to the particular needs of the most vulnerable;
  • catalyses strong community connections, including with Indigenous communities;
  • is relevant to, and available in, both urban centres and small, rural, and northern communities; and
  • helps Francophone newcomers live and work in French, contributing to linguistic duality and the vitality of official language minority communities;
• Services which maximize outcomes through:
  • a culture of continuous improvement and innovation;
  • providing the right supports at the right time;
  • fostering a professional settlement sector by investing in capacity and knowledge building; and
  • effective administrative practices that maximize the use of public funds.

Appendix 2: Survey

2018-19 Online Consultation on Settlement and Integration National Call for Proposals Priorities

Welcome and thank you for your interest in this online consultation by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on the settlement and integration of newcomers to Canada. We are grateful for the time and thought you will put into answering these questions. Your feedback will help inform priority setting for IRCC’s next National Call for Proposals – the process through which IRCC funds third party organisations to deliver settlement and resettlement services.

This online consultation is part of a bigger undertaking by IRCC to engage with the Canadian public in a conversation about the priority areas for the Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs. Other forms of consultations took place during roundtable meetings across Canada and at a National Settlement Council “Plus” meeting on June 14-15, 2018, which brought together stakeholders from the settlement sector, provincial and territorial partners and organizations from a broad range of sectors that play a role in integration. In order to obtain feedback from groups and individuals with whom IRCC has not been able to connect with directly in person, we’re using this survey as a means to reach out more broadly for input, not only from settlement stakeholders but also from other key players who play a role in integration.

Before responding to the questionnaire, please read the background document attached to the invitation email to learn more about the Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs.

As a quick reminder, the Settlement Program supports the integration of newcomers, with the aim of:

• having their settlement needs assessed;
• giving them the information required to make informed decisions;
• providing opportunities to improve official language skills;
• guiding them and supporting their entry into the workforce;
• supporting them to build networks within their communities; and
• providing access to supports such as transportation, child care and translation to facilitate access to settlement services.

The Resettlement Assistance Program provides income support and immediate and essential services to government-assisted refugees, generally prior to or concurrently with Settlement Program services, with a view to enabling government-assisted refugees to live independently in Canadian society.

Completing this online consultation can take up to 30 minutes, depending on the level of detail you provide. You are invited to consult within your organization, including with clients, as appropriate. Your participation is voluntary. Your answers will remain anonymous and will not be divulged to any third parties; responses will only be presented in aggregate form. Summary results from consultation activities, including this online survey, will be posted on the IRCC website in early 2019.

We appreciate your participation in this consultation process. We kindly ask that you submit your responses by November 19, 2018.

During the survey, please do not use your browser’s forward and back buttons. Instead, please always use the buttons below to move through the survey.

Background

Is your organization a current contribution agreement holder with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)?

• Yes
• No

Is your organization a Francophone organization?

• Yes
• No

What is the primary focus of your organization?

• Employer association
• Economic development organization (e.g., chambers of commerce, business councils)
• Professional association
• Trade union
• Employer
• Settlement organization
• Settlement and resettlement organization
• Sponsorship agreement holder
• Academia
• Research foundation or think tank
• Indigenous organization
• Educational institution or board
• Municipality or regional administration
• Volunteer or charitable organization
• Provincial or territorial government
• Multicultural or ethno-cultural organization
• Secretariat of a Local Immigration Partnership (LIP), Réseau en immigration francophone (RIF), Immigrant Economic Council (IEC)
• Settlement umbrella organization
• Other (please specify)

In which province or territory do you operate?

Please select all that apply.

• National organization
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• New Brunswick
• Quebec
• Ontario
• Manitoba
• Saskatchewan
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Nunavut
• Northwest Territories
• Yukon

Does your organization serve rural areas and/or small population centres (population of less than 30,000, as per Statistics Canada’s definition)?

• Yes
• No

Please provide your name and your organization’s name:

• Your name (optional): [open text]
• Organization: [open text]

General knowledge

How familiar are you with IRCC-funded Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs?

• Very familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Not very familiar
• Not at all familiar

Evaluation of themes

Next, we would like to discuss certain themes that have emerged from the consultations conducted thus far.

Please indicate to what extent you either agree or disagree with the following statements, using a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means “strongly disagree” and 10 means “strongly agree”.

Scale: 1-10; “Do not know / Prefer not to say”

1. Service delivery should be tailored to the needs of specific client groups.
2. Outcome measures should include the degree to which communities have become more inclusive of newcomers.
3. The settlement sector needs a more data-driven approach to program implementation (i.e. decisions based on analysis of data).
4. Highlighting or explaining the benefits of immigration is critical to creating more welcoming communities.
5. Addressing systemic barriers (e.g., discrimination) will improve newcomers’ integration into Canadian society.
6. Involving Canadians as volunteers will help improve newcomers’ integration.
7. Engagement with stakeholders who have not traditionally interacted with settlement service provider organizations (e.g., housing, health, school boards, Indigenous communities) is important for newcomers’ integration.
8. Stronger partnerships with labour market actors (e.g., employers, chambers of commerce) will better address labour market needs of newcomers and host communities.
9. Rural areas and/or small population centres require special supports for settlement/integration programming.
10. Knowledge sharing among all actors involved in settlement (e.g., exchanging best practices, evaluation results) would enable better, more innovative programming.
11. A pay-for-performance model, where funding is linked to the achievement of outcomes, would help attain better client outcomes and spur innovation.

On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means “not at all important” and 10 means “extremely important”, how important should each of the following main program components be for IRCC-funded Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs?

Please refer to the glossary available in the background paper.

Scale: 1-10; “Do not know / Prefer not to say”

1. Resettlement assistance services for government-assisted refugees (e.g., airport reception, temporary accommodation, and links to federal and provincial programs)
2. Assessments of newcomers’ needs and referrals to services they need
3. Settlement-related information and orientation to help newcomers make informed settlement decisions
4. Programs for youth
5. Language assessments and training
6. Training on cultural competency for employers
7. Services to equip newcomers with the skills, connections and support needed for employment
8. Community supports for integration of newcomers, creation of personal and professional networks
9. Recruitment and training of volunteers
10. Local-level research
11. Data collection capacity for organizations working with newcomers
12. Mental health training for settlement workers
13. Collaborative activities between traditional and non-traditional settlement actors
14. Promote the benefits of immigration and diversity for Canada
15. Mechanisms to obtain client feedback (e.g., focus groups)
16. Support services (e.g., childcare, transportation, translation)
17. Indirect settlement services (e.g., development of partnerships among organizations, capacity building)

If you have any suggestions for programming related to these main components, please provide them below.

To provide input on any of the following options, check the box. You may provide input for as many or as few options as you would like.

Based on what you know, how much emphasis should IRCC-funded Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs be placing on the following client groups compared to now?

Scale: “Much more”, “Somewhat more”, “The same as now”, “Somewhat less”, “Much less”, “Do not know / Prefer not to say”

1. Children
2. Youth (15 to 24 years old)
3. French-speaking immigrants
4. Women
5. Seniors
6. Visible minorities
7. Low-skilled immigrants
8. High-skilled immigrants
9. Refugees resettling from overseas
10. LGBTQ2
11. Deaf or hard of hearing
12. Blind or partially sighted
13. Other disabilities (physical, mental)

Are there any other groups that programming should be focused on?

• [open end]
• No others / Not sure / Prefer not to say

If you have any suggestions for programming for the client groups that require more targeted interventions, please provide them below.

To provide input on any of the following options, check the box. You may provide input for as many or as few options as you would like.

Based on what you know, how much bigger or smaller of a role should the following non-traditional actors be playing in settlement and integration compared to now?

Scale: “Much bigger”, “Somewhat bigger”, “Same as now”, “Somewhat smaller”, “Much smaller”, “Do not know / Prefer not to say”

1. Employer associations
2. Economic development organizations (e.g., chambers of commerce, business councils)
3. Professional associations
4. Trade unions
5. Employers
6. Academia
7. Research foundations or think tanks
8. Indigenous organizations
9. Educational institutions or boards
10. Municipalities or Regional Administrations
11. Media

Are there any other non-traditional actors that should be playing a bigger role in settlement and integration?

• [open end]
• No others / Not sure / Prefer not to say

If you have suggestions for programing or initiatives that would encourage/ benefit from a bigger role for these non-traditional actors, please provide them below.

To provide input on any of the following options, check the box. You may provide input for as many or as few options as you would like.

Can you suggest any innovative approaches to help involve Canadians as volunteers to support the settlement and integration of newcomers?

• [open end]
• Do not know / Prefer not to say

How important are each of the following supports for rural areas and/or small population centres for ensuring settlement and integration of newcomers?

Scale: “Very important”, “Somewhat important”, “Not very important”, “Not at all important”, “Do not know / Prefer not to say”

1. Public transportation
2. Affordable housing
3. Service provider organizations
4. Attraction/retention strategies for newcomers
5. Employment opportunities
6. Higher education institutions
7. Public awareness of benefits of immigration
8. Access to interpretation/translation services
9. Access to health care
10. Access to mental health care
11. Access to language training
12. Childcare
13. Recreational facilities

Are there any other supports that would help the settlement and integration of newcomers in rural areas and/or small population centres?

• [open end]
• No others / Not sure / Prefer not to say

Based on what you know, what are the most pressing challenges in terms of research and knowledge sharing for the settlement and integration sector?

Please select all that apply.

• Little knowledge on how to collect data
• Limited access to quality data
• Little knowledge on how to analyse data
• Limited opportunities for dissemination of findings
• Knowledge-sharing platforms are created but do not stay active
• Unclear how research can feed into and influence policy-making
• Not enough staff to devote to performance measurement/data collection and analysis
• Absence of knowledge-sharing platforms
• Competitive climate among stakeholders
• Perception that knowledge sharing is not productive
• Other (please specify)
• Do not know / Prefer not to say

Priority setting

Imagine you had $100 that you could use to fund the following initiatives. Please indicate how much you would spend on each.

You must spend exactly $100, and may allocate $0 to an initiative (or leave it blank). A running total will be shown at the bottom of the list.

1. Resettlement assistance services for government-assisted refugees (e.g., airport reception, temporary accommodation, and links to federal and provincial programs)
2. Assessments of newcomers’ needs and referrals to services they need
3. Settlement-related information and orientation to help newcomers make informed settlement decisions
4. Programs for youth
5. Language assessments and training
6. Training on cultural competency for employers
7. Services to equip newcomers with the skills, connections and support needed for employment
8. Community supports for integration of newcomers, creation of personal and professional networks
9. Recruitment and training of volunteers
10. Local-level research
11. Data collection capacity for organizations working with newcomers
12. Mental health training for settlement workers
13. Collaborative activities between traditional and non-traditional settlement actors
14. Promote the benefits of immigration and diversity for Canada
15. Mechanisms to obtain client feedback (e.g., focus groups)
16. Support services (e.g., childcare, transportation, translation)
17. Indirect settlement services (e.g., development of partnerships among organizations, capacity building)

What top 5 priorities related to the settlement and integration of newcomers would your organization identify as most important for your community/region?

You may leave any or all fields blank.

Conclusion

Finally, is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

• [open end]
• No other feedback

Thank you for your feedback!

Appendix 3: CORE Principles

Text version: Appendix 3: CORE Principles

Client-centered

Programming that is tailored to meet specific client’s profiles. This includes ensuring Francophone services for those who want to live and work in French, and a focus on clients who are vulnerable, marginalized or face barriers.

Outcomes-driven

Programming that is driven by evidence, ensuring the best outcomes, both short and long term, for the client.

Responsive to need

Programming that meets the needs of not only the client, but of society itself, to best integrate newcomers and achieve the shared vision for Settlement and Integration.

Effective use of resources

Programming that is effective and efficient, utilizing partnerships, leveraging shared resources, and developing untapped community assets such as volunteers and local businesses.