Repository of Practices
Primary GCM Objectives
GCM Guiding Principles*
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Dates
Type of practice
Summary
Canada’s Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS), in-school supports, and similar programming was designed to assist elementary and secondary newcomer students and families by addressing “newness to Canada” as a barrier to school success. SWIS workers act as cultural liaisons and system navigators between the school and newcomer families. In general, SWIS promotes student achievement by enabling youth to integrate more easily while supporting families and school staff.
Newcomers’ needs, including for language training and mental health support, are taken into account through SWIS. Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) delivering SWIS undertake assessments of needs and assets as part of their intake process to ensure that newcomer youth and their families receive adequate support in schools and through referral to other service providers. SWIS workers are culturally-competent staff who facilitate the school orientation and settlement experience of youth and their families.
There are local and regional differences in how SWIS is delivered. Work is currently underway to support national standardization of SWIS programming to ensure more coherence and consistency across Canada. Given that SWIS is a community-based initiative, some adaptations are necessary according to local and regional realities.
Organizations
Main Implementing Organization(s)
Detailed Information
Benefit and Impact
As an example of the initiative’s many direct impacts on newcomer youth: A young high school student, who arrived in Canada in 2016, was struggling because of mobility issues. The SWIS worker at the high school helped the family access funding for a walker, wheelchair and physiotherapy. She also helped the mother communicate with the school so that they could work together to accommodate his needs.
SWIS workers in some regions also coordinate school readiness programming to offer students a foundation for success before the academic year begins. Teachers, settlement workers and peer leaders (immigrant youth living in Canada for 2-3 years) work together to ensure a smooth entry to school by introducing new students to facilities, routines and policies, and by providing contacts and support.
The strength of SWIS that early interventions in newcomer children’s education are essential for integration. For example, primary and secondary schools are important to newcomer youth in Canada not only for their education but also for their settlement, social inclusion and belonging in their Canadian community and into Canadian society. Schools can act as gateways by offering timely access to direct (i.e. on-location) services and by providing referrals to other settlement provider organizations, which are dedicated to deliver Canadian government-funded settlement services to newcomers.
SWIS is also a best practice in cooperation building, as groups that are not usually considered as part of the settlement experience for newcomers are able to benefit from SWIS, such as school staff (e.g. teachers, administration). SWIS workers help raise awareness of newcomer needs and promote inter-cultural understanding. SWIS is a good example of how integrated approaches (i.e., incorporating schools, clients and settlement provider organizations) to service delivery are a central theme for successful settlement services.
Key Lessons
Newcomer clients (including students and families) and school staff find SWIS services to be useful and responsive to their needs. SWIS contributes to increased knowledge, involvement and performance in the education system by newcomer students. SWIS is also useful for referring clients to other settlement services needed for immigrant success, and for enhancing cultural understanding on the part of school staff.
Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)
Innovation
- The impacts are sustainable as the initiative is well-established across local and regional education bodies and migrant and refugee service organizations.
- SWIS workers played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, moving to service delivery online and by providing and promoting access to technology. SWIS workers in focus groups noted that their close relationships with students allowed them to identify technology issues for schools, such as who did not have access to internet and who did not have reliable technology (e.g., laptops, tablets) to participate in class. Also, some Service Provider Organizations reported requesting and receiving funding amendments to procure technology for clients to ensure their participation in school.
- SWIS services were not exclusively provided online throughout the pandemic, as some services continued on school grounds or in other locations. Case studies highlighted instances where SWIS workers were deemed “essential” by school governance as schools were re-opened and in other cases where school occupancy was limited.
Additional Resources
Media
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*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).