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Lessons LearnedSettlement & Integration Consultation

Full Report – June 29th and June 30th 2016

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements 4

Executive Summary 5

Background 10

Day 1, Wednesday, June 29th: Lessons Learned 11

Plenary:Promisingpractices,ChallengesandOpportunities:

CoordinationandReception 11

Breakoutdiscussions:CoordinationandReception 16

Group1:Coordination,Engagement,andCommunications 16

Group2:ResettlementServicesandVolunteerManagement 18

Group3:ConnectiontoSupports 20

Plenary:PromisingPractices,ChallengesandOpportunities–InitialSettlement 22

Break-outdiscussions:InitialSettlement 25

Group1:EducationandLanguageTraining(AdultandYouth) 25

Group2:HealthServices 27

Group3:Housing 29

Discussion:ImprovingManitoba’sSettlementandIntegrationSystem:

ManitobaDahsboardandtheResettlementAssistanceProvider(RAP)Experience30

SummaryofRecommendations 31

Day 2, Thursday, June 30th: Settlement & Integration 33

Plenary:Settlement&IntegrationinManitoba:ThePathForwards 33

Plenary:Settlement&Integration:EvidencetoGuideAction 37

KeyThemes 41

Presentation:HelpingImmigrantsSucceed 41

WorkshopDiscussions 42

Language 42

LabourMarket 43

SocialConnections 45

SummaryofRecommendations 48

MANSO Moving Forward 48

Appendices 52

Agenda 52

QuickFactsontheSyriaRefugeeResponse 56

FinalParticipantList 57

Acronymcheatsheet 60

Acknowledgements

MANSOwouldliketothankallthepresenters,facilitatorsandparticipantsandacknowledgethefollowingindividualsandfunderfortheirsupport:

MANSO Staff and Volunteers

VickiSinclair,BequieLake,TeresaBurke,

SeidOumerAhmed,MichelleStrain,

ImmaculateNabisere,MaryamAlAzazi

Note Takers

SallyOgoe,PallabiBhattacharyya,Abdul-Bari

Abdul-Karim,StevenYurkowski

Planning Committee

JohnBiles,ConnieJonasson,DonnaWall,

BenjaminWalker,NatashaMohammed,

LizRobinson,DaleKlassen,TehaniJainarine,

JimMair,AbdikheirAhmed,NoelleDePape,

LaurieSawatzky

Layout and Design

LeighMcKenzie

and Citizenship CanadaImmigration, Refugees

et Citoyenneté CanadaImmigration, Réfugiés

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Executive Summary

BetweenNovember4th,2015andtheendofMarch2016,theFederalGovernmentbrought26,140SyrianrefugeestoCanada.Manitobareceived928ofthisnumber.83%wereGovernmentAssistedRefugees(GARs),13%BlendedVisaOfficeReferred(BVORs),and4%PrivatelySponsoredRefugees(PSRs).(AsmallnumberofGARsfromothercountriesalsoarrivedduringthesameperiod,aswellasmanyfamiliesofPSRsfromothercountries).

AlloftheGARsthatarrivedduringthisperiodsettledinWinnipeg(766).Winnipegalsosawthearrivalof37SyrianPSRsand37SyrianBVORs,andthecommunitiesofDauphin,Morden,Winkler,Altona,Kleefeld,SteinbachandArborgalsowelcomedBVORs.Familieshavesincearrived(orareexpectedsoon)toBrandon,Carman,PortagelaPrairie,ClandeboyeandSteinbach.

ToensuretheirsmoothreceptionandintegrationacrossourProvinceanunprecedentedlevelofcoordinationandcollaborationtookplacebetweenthreelevelsofgovernment,thesettlementumbrellaorganization(thenMIRSSA),thetwoRAPproviders,otherSettlementServiceproviders,PrivateSponsorshipAgreementHolders,ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsandthegeneralpublicthroughvolunteeringanddonations.IRCCalsomadeseveralfundingin-novationsincludingaddinganewRAPpilotinBrandon.

MANSOwasaskedbyImmigrationRefugeesandCitizenshipCanadaWesternRegiontoconvenealessonslearnedmeetingforManitoba,aftersomeServiceProviderOrganizationsexpressedaninterest.AplanningcommitteewasformedinMay2016,whichbuiltonaframeworkdevelopedforsimilareventsinSas-katchewanandAlberta.

OnJune29thandJune30th2016thesekeystakeholdersandthewidersettle-mentcommunitycametogethertodiscusslessonslearned,bestpracticesandchallengesfacedduringtheresettlementinitiativeandhowthesefindingscanbeusedtoensuresuccessfulintegrationoutcomesfortheseSyriansandallrefugeesandimmigrantswhosettleinManitoba.

6Lessons Learned Report; Settlement & Integration Consultation JUNE 29th and JUNE 30th 2016

DAY ONEincludedrepresentativesofthoseorganizationsdirectlyinvolvedintheinitialresettlementofSyrianrefugees.TheseincludedRAPagencies,SponsorshipAgree-mentHolders(SAH),ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups,theProvinceofManitoba,andotherkeyserviceproviders.

OBJECTIVES FOR DAY 1:• Take stock of lessons learned from Syrian refugee resettlement initiative in Manitoba • Look forward to strategies for building a more responsive refugee resettlement system• Envision future planning and coordination efforts for refugee resettlement

Key ThemesKeythemesthatemergedfromtheInitialSettlementBreak-OutDiscussions:Clearlinesofcommunicationatalllevelsofcoordinationandamongmultiplestakehold-ersarecriticalandwillcontinuetobegoingforward.Thewidevarietyandrangeofsettle-mentservicesbeingaccessedbynewcomersrequiresongoingcommitmenttosharingbestpracticesandinnovativeapproachestoplan-ningandcollaboration.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSCoordination & Collaboration• Continueexistingcoordinationmechanisms,includingmulti-stakeholdercoordinationtableandMANSOconferencecallsandworkinggroups• ImmigrationPartnershipWinnipegandMANSOtocontinueconveningopportunitiesforinformation-sharingbetweenethnocul-turalandfaithcommunitygroups•PrioritizecoordinationaroundemploymentsupportsforrefugeenewcomerswithlowEnglishandFrenchskillsand/orlittleformaleducation•Explorewaysofengagingdentalpractitionersinrespondingtoincreasedneeds

Provincial Government•Confirmprovincialsupportsforhousing,includingcontinuingtheprovincialrentsubsidyprogramand/oradjustingthepoliciesaroundRentAssistsothatitoffersbettersupporttorefugeefamilies,aswellascontinuingtomain-taintheprovincialhousinginventory•Pro-activelyengagewithEmploymentandIncomeAssistance,RAPprovidersandothersettlementstakeholderstoplanfor“Month13”andthetransitionofsomefamiliestoEIAsupports•ExplorewaysofexpandingthecapacityatBridgeCareClinicand/orengagingtheirexper-tiseinplanningforalternatestrategies.EngagetheRegionalHealthAuthoritiesineducatingphysiciansaboutrefugeehealthneeds

MANSO & Service Providers•CollaboratewithSponsorshipAgreementHolders(SAHs)onmoreresourcesforspon-sorgroupsinManitoba,topossiblyincludea“MadeinManitoba”sponsorguideand/orbulletinboard•WorktogetherondevelopingcommonneedsassessmentandsettlementplanningprocessesforRAPprovidersandotherservice-providers,aswellasconveninglearningopportunitiesforserviceproviderstobetterunderstandprivacylegislationandpolicy,inordertofacilitatethereferralprocess

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•Lookforopportunitiestopartnerwithethno-culturalandfaithcommunityorganizations,andengagetheminplanningandservicedelivery•Strategizeonwaystocommunicateaboutrealandperceivedinequitiesbetweenculturalgroups

IRCC•Ensurethatpre-arrivalorientationisofferedtoallrefugees,andthattheorientationoffersrealisticexpectationsaboutlifeinCanada(includingfinances,housing,etc.)•Developprotocolsforsharingbetterdataaboutthearrivalsofprivatelysponsoredrefugeeswithprovincialgovernmentsandthesettlementsector.BuildonapproachesusedforSyrianrefugeesforallrefugees•AlignRAPprogrammingtoeliminatedispar-itiesbetweengroupsofdifferentnationalities(intransportationloans,eligibilityforIFH).HelpRAPprovidersandsettlementsectordevelopstrategiesforcommunicatingaroundthesedisparities•EnsurethatsufficientsettlementfundingisprovidedtoRAPagenciestoallowthemtoofferongoingsettlementsupporttoclients•AddsupporttoRAPbudgetsforbuspassesforyouthtoallowthemtoaccesskeysupportprograms•Offermoreeducationtoolstohealthpro-vidersnationallytoencourageprimarycarephysicianstoregisterwithIFH(andincreasenumberofavailablepractitioners)•ExpandIFHcoveragetocoverinterpretationforall10possiblesessionswithpsychologistsandincreasethenumberofsessionsthatcanbepaidforbyIFH•Increasethepre-arrivalmedicalinforma-tionavailabletoRAPproviders,especiallyforthosewithcomplexneedsinordertoallowmorepreparationtime•ContinuetoworkwithCMASonstreamlin-ingregulationsasmuchaspossibleforCareforNewcomerChildren(CNC),whilestillmaintainingchildren’ssafety

Funders•Continuesupportingumbrellaorganization

withcoordinationcapacity•Offersupportforspecializedemploymentprogrammingforlow-benchmarkrefugeeclients•Ensurethatspecializedsupportsforclientswithdisabilitiesareavailable,aswellasspecial-izedmentalhealthservices•Offerfinancialsupportforsupportsofferedbytheethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups

DAY TWOfocusedonserviceprovidingorganizations,researchersandotherstake-holders,aswellasmanyoftheparticipantsfromDay1.ThescopeforDay2wasmuchbroaderwithafocusoncollectinginputontrendsandneeds,aswellasfuturesectorplanningandcoordination.ParticipantswereaskedtonotonlyreflectontheSyrianrefugeeresponsebuttoexaminetheimplicationsoftheHelpingImmigrantsSucceed(H.I.S)strat-egyfortheirprogramsandorganizations.TheH.I.SstrategyisaFederalProvincialTerritorial(FPT)strategydevelopedtoensureImmigrantsunderstandlifeinCanadaandexperienceinclusion,asenseofbelonging,andlifesatisfaction,havingfullyrealizedthesocialandeconomicbenefitsofimmigratingtoCanada.Canadiansembraceimmigrantsandtheircontributionstobuildingcommuni-tiesandaprosperousCanada.Thiswillbeachievedthroughstrongerpart-nershipinthefollowingareas:– On Social Connections,theplanendeavorstostrengthenthesocialnetworksofnewcom-ersandfosterwelcomingcommunities.– On Official Languages,effortswillfocusonstrengtheningcollaborativeeffortstofacilitateawarenessof,andaccesstolanguagelearningopportunitiesbynewcomersoutsideof,andnotimmediatelydestinedfor,thelabourforce.– On Employment Fit/FQR,effortswillseektostrengthenemployerengagementtofacilitatenewcomers’labourmarketintegration.Theplanwillalsoseektoimproveimmigrants’awarenessandusageofservicesforemploy-mentandforeignqualificationrecognition,bothpre-arrivalandinCanada.ThisworkwillbecloselycoordinatedwiththeFPTFQRWorkingGroup.


OBJECTIVES FOR DAY 2•Collectinputonsettlementtrendsandemergingneeds•InformstakeholdersontheHelpingImmi-grantsSucceed(HIS)strategyandengageinstructureddialogueonhowthesethreeareaswillbeaddressedmovingforwards•Shareinformationonfundingopportunitiesandcurrentresearchonsettlement&integra-tionoutcomes•Envisionfuturesectorplanningandcoordi-nationefforts

Key ThemesKey themes that emerged from the Day 2 PlenariesCommunicationandcollaborationarekey,asisevidencetosupportfundingrequestsespe-ciallydatarecordediniCARE.Resourcesarelimitedandwillbeallocatedaccordingtoproofofneed.Healthandmentalhealthcameupinseveralpresentations,especiallytheneedforinterpretationviaIFH.Innovativeandcol-laborativesolutionstoemploymentprogram-mingsupportsforclientswithlowlevelsoflanguagewerediscussed.Provincialinvolve-mentinhousingissuesiscritical,includingacentralhousingregistryandevaluationoftheRentAssistprogram.Youthwerehighlightedasapopulationfacingadditionalbarrierstointegration,aswastheminorityfrancophoneimmigrantpopulation,especiallywhenjoiningthelabourmarket.Engagingpublicandprivatesupportinnewcomerintegrationsstrategieswasconsideredkey.Theneedforcleardataaboutsettlementacrosstheprovincewashighlightedasweretheadditionalbarriersforthosesettlinginruralareastoaccessinglanguageandhealthsupports.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSLanguage• Mentalhealthissuesareaffectinglanguagetraining.Wraparoundcareforclientsandstaffmustbeprovidedtoensurebestlanguageoutcomes•IncreaseCareforNewcomerChildren(CNC)programmingandinvestigateinnova-

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tivealternativesformothersforwhomchildcareisabarrier•Expandingbestpracticeoflinkinglanguagetrainingwithparentingprogramming•Increasingoptionsforcontinuinglanguagetrainingwhileworking

Social Connections•Increasefinancialsupportandinvolvementofethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupstoenablethemtoreducesocialisolationintheircommunities•Adaptationstoprogrammingtomeetclientneeds,includinginterpretation,curriculumadaptation,trainedvolunteers•Consistencyoffundingforruralprogram-mingtoensureserviceofferingsareavailablewherevernewcomerssettle•Transportationsubsidies,especiallyforyouth,arekeytoallowingnewcomerstoac-cessavailablecriticalsocialsupports•Supporthostfamilyinitiativesthatwilllessennewcomerdependenceonfundedserviceproviders

Labour•EncouragerelationshipbuildingbetweenSPOsandemployersinordertoassistnew-comerswithsuccessfulintegrationwithintheworkplace•Expandingcaptureoflabouroutcomestoin-cludeunderemployment(differentNOCcodefromcountryoforigin),temporarypositionasasteptolongtermcareergoals,andmediumandlongtermfollowupafteranemploymentintervention•Encourageemployerstoincludelanguagelearningatworkoptionsinordertoimproveworkplaceintegration,careerplanning,em-ploymentmaintenanceandenhancement•KeepfocusonQualificationRecognitionaskeyinlongtermintegrationandemploy-mentsuccess

FACILITATION AND NOTETAKINGFacilitationoftheeventwasacombinedef-fortbyMANSOstaff,boardmembers,andmembership.Notetakingwasprovidedby

fourUniversityofManitobamastersstudentsunderthesupervisionofLoriWilkinsonofImmigrationResearchWest(IRW).MANSOstaffalsoundertooksomeofthenotetakingresponsibilitiesduringtheplenariesanddur-ingquestionandanswersessions.

FOLLOW UPFollowingthetwo-dayevent,MANSOcon-venedaconferencecallforserviceproviderswhowereunabletoparticipateattheeventin-person.Inputcollectedfromthatcallwasalsoincludedinthisreport.Wethankalloftheparticipantsfortheirinputandwelookforwardtohearingmorechalleng-esandsolutionsastheconversationcontinues.

MOVING FORWARDThemostimportantlessonwehavelearnedfromthisprocessisthattheinnovativemodelsofmulti-stakeholdercoordinationandsettle-mentservicesdeliverythataredescribedasregionalbestpracticesorrecommendedforthefutureinthisreport,willimprovetheintegra-tionoutcomesofnotonlytherecentSyrianarrivals,butthoseofeverynewcomerwewelcometoManitoba.MANSOisusingtheLessonsLearnedatthiseventtodevelopastrategicplanfocusingoncommunication,coordinationandcapacitybuildingtosupportoursectortomeettheirclients’needsandhelpournewcomersandourProvincethrive.


BACKGROUNDMANSOwasaskedbyImmigrationRefugeesandCitizenshipCanadaWesternRegiontoconvenealessonslearnedmeetingforManitoba.AplanningcommitteewasformedinMay2016,whichbuiltonaframeworkdevelopedforsimilareventsinSaskatchewanandAlberta.OBJECTIVES FOR DAY 1 WERE TO:• Take stock of lessons learned from Syrian refugee resettlement initiative in Manitoba • Look forward to strategies for building a more responsive refugee resettlement system• Envision future planning and coordination efforts for refugee resettlement

OBJECTIVES FOR DAY 2 WERE TO: • Collect input on settlement trends and emerging needs• Inform stakeholders on the Helping Immi-grants Succeed (HIS) strategy and engage in structured dialogue on how these three areas will be addressed moving forwards• Share information on funding opportunities and current research on settlement & integra-tion outcomes• Envision future sector planning and coordi-nation efforts

INVITEESInviteesforDay1includedthoseorganiza-tionsdirectlyinvolvedintheinitialresettle-mentofSyrianrefugees:RAPagencies,Spon-sorshipAgreementHolders,ethnoculturalandfaithgroups,theProvinceofManitoba,andotherrelevantServiceProviders.Eachoftheseorganizationsplayedakeyroleinimmediateorearlyresettlementeffortseitherthroughdirectserviceorcoordination(orboth).

InviteesforDay2focusedonservicepro-vidingorganizations,researchersandotherstakeholders,aswellasmanyofthepartici-pantsfromDay1.ThescopeforDay2wasmuchbroaderwithafocusoncollectinginputonsettlementtrendsandemergingneeds,aswellasfuturesectorplanningandcoordi-nation.ParticipantswereaskedtonotonlyreflectontheSyrianrefugeeresponsebuttoexaminetheimplicationsoftheHelpingIm-migrantsSucceedstrategyfortheirprogramsandorganizations.

FACILITATION & NOTETAKINGFacilitationoftheeventwasacombinedeffortbyMANSOstaff,boardmembers,andmembership.NotetakingwasprovidedbyfourUniversityofManitobamastersstudentsunderthesupervisionofLoriWilkinsonofImmigrationResearchWest(IRW).MANSOstaffalsoundertooksomeofthenotetakingresponsibilitiesduringtheplenariesandduringquestionandanswersessions.

FOLLOW-UPFollowingthetwo-dayevent,MANSOcon-venedaconferencecallforserviceproviderswhowereunabletoparticipateattheeventin-person.Inputcollectedfromthatcallwasalsoincludedinthisreport.

Lessons LearnedSettlement & Integration Consultation

Full Report – June 29th and June 30th 2016

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LESSONS LEARNEDPLENARY: PROMISING PRACTICES, CHAL-LENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: COORDI-NATION AND RECEPTION Onthefirstdayoftheevent,aplenarysessionwasheldtoexplorethebestpractices,chal-lengesandopportunitiesresultingfromtheSyriarefugeeresponse,withafocusontheinitialresettlementphase,includingcoordina-tionandreception.Representativesoforgani-zationswithdiverseperspectiveswereinvitedtosharetheirinsight,includingresettlementassistanceproviders,asponsorshipagreementholder,ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsandprovincialgovernment.

Rita Chahal – Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council (Manitoba’s largest Resettlement Assistance Provider also known as Welcome Place).BetweenNovemberandtheendofMarch,MIICreceivedapproxi-mately800SyrianGARsinadditiontosomeGARsfromtheregularstream.

Promising practices:•Anopportunityforcollaborationthroughgovernment,includingsharingofbestpracticesacrossprovinces/internationalcommunities•Thelevelofengagementwithalllevelsofgovernments,SPOs,privatecitizens,privatesponsorsandtheprivatesector,andinfor-mationsharingwiththemediaandbetweenstakeholders•Supportoftemporaryhousingarrange-mentsfromtheprovincialgovernment,aswellastheRentSupplementProgram,inwhichtheprovincialgovernmententeredintoagreementswithownersofprivaterentalhousingtosubsidizeaportionoftherent.ThisinitiativehelpedtheSyrianrefugeesobtainaffordableandsuitablehousingintheprivaterentalsectorandinnon-profitafford-ablehousinginitiatives•Increasedlevelsoffinancialsupportfromexistingandnewsourcesaidedinsuccess

Challenges:•Overallthequickpaceleftlittletimefor

planning,andmeantthattheagencywasmostlyinreactivemode•WeeklyanddailyreportingtoIRCCwaschallenginggiventheintensityandthepaceoftheSyrianinitiative,andforthefrontlinesettlementworkersitwasoverwhelming•IRCCdidnotconsultwithMIICpriortoundertakingthisinitiative•FindingaffordablepermanenthousingtoaccommodatelargerfamiliesinWinnipegwithrelativelylowvacancyratewasthebig-gestchallenge•Problemofstaffing,astherewastheneedtorecruitasquicklyaspossible•Managingexpectationsofstaff,clients,volunteersandthepublic

Moving forward:Thefollowingwerecitedaswaystobuildonsuccesses:•Moreengagementwiththepolicymakersandimplementersatvariouslevels•Theurgentneedforfundingtooperateorganizationalactivities•Expansionofhostprogram

Boris Ntambwe – Accueil francophone (RAP).AccueilisaresettlementassistanceproviderwhichusuallywelcomesFrench-speakingrefugeestoManitoba,butasapartoftheSyrianinitiativeAccueilextendedtheirservicestowelcomeSyrianrefugees.

Promising-practices:•Thedevelopmentofnewservicedeliverypartnerships,includingapartnershipwithUniversitéofSaint-Bonifaceforfree-of-chargetemporaryhousing•Acceuilwasabletotakeadvantageofsig-nificantvolunteerinterestandcapacity.VolunteerswhospeakArabicwerepairedwiththeSyrianrefugeeswhentherefugeesmovedtotheirpermanentaccommodationtoassistthemintheirearlyintegrationprocess•Supportfromcorporatesector,includingapartnershipwithManitobaTelecomServices(MTS)togiverefugeesfreeinternetandnet-workaccessforthefirstthreemonthsoftheir

DAY 1, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29TH:


•Mobilizingservicestoreceptioncentresandstreamliningprocessesduringrecep-tionperiodsuchashealthservices,MBStartregistrationprocesses,languageassessment,familyandpsychosocialprograms•CentralizedregistrationatMBStartprovidedearlyinformationabouttheSyriannewcom-ers(education,occupation,languagelevel)Centralizinghousinginventoryandheatmapsfacilitatedmovesandserviceplanning•Streamliningschoolregistrationprocessesandplanningforeducationsupports•Mentalhealthactionplanningwithcommunitybasedserviceproviders•Incredibleworkandsupportofethno-culturalandcommunityorganizations

Challenges: •Quickpaceandchangesinplanningscenarioscomplicatedearlyplanningprocess•UnexpectedsurgeinDecemberchallengedcapacities,preparationsandcoordinationforeveryoneinvolved•Unexpectedchangeinprofileofrefugees-largefamilieswithmanychildrenpresentedchallengesinreceptioncentres,transporta-tion,findinghousing•Benefitofmanynewpartnersbecominginvolvedintheeffortalsoledtochallengesaroundcommunications,androlesandresponsibilities•Managingpublicinterestandgoodwill–donations,volunteerism,privatesponsorship•Ensuringsupportsareinplacetoaddresssettlementneedsmovingforward

Opportunities: •Increasedawarenessandengagementonrefugeeresettlementingeneralwillimproverefugeeresettlementresponseforallrefugeesintheprovince•Theincreasedinformationsharing,coordina-tionmechanisms,andincreasingcapacityinsectorandsystemswillsupportongoingwork•Continuingengagementofgovernment,sectorandotherstakeholdersmovingforwardtoaddressneeds

initialresettlement.Theprogramextendedtoallrefugees,andapartnershipwithRBCinassistingrefugeestoopenbankaccountswhilerefugeeswereintemporaryaccommodation•ThesupportoftheRentSupplementfromManitobaHousinghelpedtofindsafeandsuit-ablepermanentaccommodations.Thishelpedtomovepeoplequicklytopermanentaccom-modations.Itwasnotedthatfamiliesneedcon-tinuedsupportwithhousing,notonlyhelpwithfindingtheirfirstpermanentaccommodation

Challenges:•Paceofprocess•Languagebarriersforarrivals,whichresultedinmanychallengesincludingemployment•Limitedresourcestoaidintegrationprocess•Challengesinmedicalfollow-ups(staffspend-ingmoretimeinemergencyserviceswithclients)

Moving forward/ potential opportunities:•Effectivedevelopmentofnetworks•Housingissueswereresolvedwiththegen-eroushelpofsomestakeholders•SendingofrefugeechildrentoFrenchschoolsinordertolearnandunderstandFrenchlanguageasanofficiallanguage

Liz Robinson – Immigration and Economic Opportunities Division, Manitoba Education & Training

Promising-practices:•Havingkeyprovincialdepartments,IRCC,MANSO,settlementserviceproviders,IPW,theRedCross,CityofWinnipegandcom-munitystakeholdersinvolvedinplanningandcoordinatingtheresponseeffortmadecommunication,informationsharing,decisionmakingandproblemsolvingfaster•SupportfromEMOaddedcapacity-com-munications,planningandlogisticalexpertise;andhelpedtomobilizeinterdepartmentalresponse;includingemergencysocialservicesduringsurgeperiod•Usingalternativetemporaryaccommoda-tionsitesvshotels–morecomfortableforfamiliesandservicedelivery

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•Workingalongsidecommunityandfaithgroupstosupportsettlement•OpeningofanewRAPcentreinBrandonwillincreasecapacityintheprovincetoresettlerefugees

Arisnel Mesido – Mennonite Central Committee. MCCisakeysupportformanysponsorgroupsacrosstheprovinceandpromotesrefugeesponsorshipandsupportschurchesthroughBVORandPSRprocess.MCChashadanunprecedentedlevelofactivityduringtheinfluxoftheSyrianrefugees(November2015toMarch2016).

Promising-practices•MCCworkedwithprivategroupstocon-nectwithrefugeestoputtogetherasponsor-shipapplicationincludinghowmuchmoneyisneededtosettle,locationsofsettlementservicesandplansforhowthesponsorscanbethereforfamiliesofnewcomerstohelpthemsuccessfullyresettleandintegrateintoCanadiansociety•Coordinationbetweenandamongstakeholders,includingtheInternationalOrganizationforMigration,visaposts,otherSAHswasusefulinthecoordinationprocess•Benefittosomeoverlapofinformation(hewouldprefertoreceivethesamedocumentstwicethannotatall)•HadsupportfromcentralizedprocessingunitinWinnipeg•GenerosityoftheCanadiansocietywascritical,includingtheirtime,financialcon-tributions,expertise,patienceandflexibility.Withoutprivatecitizenstherewouldbenoprivatelysponsoredrefugees•ReceivedgreatsupportfromMANSOandMANSOwasengagedwithethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupstoidentifyemerg-ingneedsandmakeeffortstowardbuildingarelationshipwithinSPOs,communitygroups,privatesponsorgroupsandvariousgovern-mentaldepartments

Challenges:•Shortnoticefromthefederalgovernmentaboutthearrivalofrefugeessometimesthesponsorgrouphadonly24-48hoursbeforewelcomingthefamilyattheairport•Sponsoredrefugeesfacedlanguagebarrierswiththeirsponsoredfamilies•IRCCputsomerefugeesonasponsorshiplistwithouthavingdoneallthenecessaryscreeningthisresultedinunexpecteddelays,includingsomecasesinwhichsponsorsrentedhouseswhichhavesatempty

Opportunities:•PSRsneedtoknowwhatishappeningandwhen;thereisaneedforuniformprocess•Continuedeffectivecommunicationandcol-laborationbetweenIRCCandthesettlementagenciesorservices(whoiscoming,profile,age,familysizeetc.)•Theneedformorecomprehensiveinforma-tionforprivatesponsors,includinga“MadeinManitoba”privatesponsorguide,abookletmappingallSPOsinManitobaorabulletinboardwhereallSPOscanposttheirprogramschedulesinordertohelpprivatesponsors

Idris El-Bakri – Manitoba Islamic Association (MIA)

Promising-practices:•Therewasagreatamountofgeneralinter-estfromthepublicwhowantedtohelpout,andMIAwasabletofacilitatesomeofthisinterest(forexamplebysettingupawebsiteandmatchingdonationsofin-kinditemstofamilies,andbyofferingvolunteersupport)•Theresponseofferedanopportunitytobetterunderstandthesettlementprocessandseehowwecontributetoit,andtrustwasbuiltrelativelyquicklywithrefugeesandset-tlementservices.Whensettlementservicesrealizedthemagnitudeofthechallenge,theyreachedoutforhelptocollaborateandtheroomtocooperatewasstronger•MIAdefinedaroleforthemselvesofsup-portingtheworkofsettlementstaff,andreinforcingsomeofthemessagingfrom


settlementproviders.Occasionallythisrolealsoincludesadvocatingfortheneedsofanindividualorfamilytothesettlementagency,orhelpingtomediateaconflictbetweentheagencyandrefugees•Animportantroleforthecommunityisbreakingdownsocialisolationthroughinvolve-mentwithclientsandotherstakeholders

Challenges:•LanguagebarriersandalackofresourcesinArabic•MIAobservedthatsomeclientshadamistrustofpoliticalauthority,includingserviceprovidersconnectedtothegovernment•SPOsinitiallyunderestimatingtheorganiza-tionalcapacityoftheethnoculturalandfaithcommunityorganizations

Opportunities:•Effectiveinvolvementofclientsandstake-holdersinordertoaddresssocialexclusionandisolation•CancontinuetosendthemessagetotheSyrianrefugeesthattheinitialstruggleofresettlementinCanadaisworthit•Buildingonthenewunderstandingandpart-nershipsbetweenthefundedandnon-fundedorganizations

Nour Ali –Kurdish Association of Manitoba (KAM)TheKurdishAssociationofManitoba(KAM)isavolunteerrunorganizationthathasplayedanactiveroleinwelcomingSyrianrefugeestoManitoba,andhasalsodirectlysponsoredsomefamiliesincollaborationwithMCC.

Promising-practices•Openedanopportunitytomeetandworktogetherwithdifferentlevelsofgovernment,SPOs,school,privatesponsorgroups,ManitobaIslamicAssociation(MIA),Immigra-tionPartnershipWinnipeg(IPW)andMANSO•Basedonpublicdemand,KAMcarriedoutdozensofpresentationsinschools,churches

andotherplacestoletpeopleknowofthechallengesoftheSyrianrefugeesandtheneedtohelpthemuponarrival•Playedanimportantroleinvisitingfamiliestoknowtheirneedsandhelpaddresssuchneeds,includingconnectingfamilieswithvari-ousagenciesaftertheymovedtopermanentaccommodations,aswellasworkingwithotherorganizationsanddonationsoffurnitureandotheritemstoSyrianrefugees• KAMhasstarteddifferentprograms(likerecreationalsoccer)andwasakeyplanningpartnerinaMay2016eventattendedbyover90%ofSyrianrefugeesinManitoba

Challenges:•Languagebarrier,resultinginchallengesfind-ingemploymentopportunitiesfortheSyrians•Lackofeducationalopportunitiesforrefu-geeswithsomelevelofinterruptedschooling.Refugeechildrenhadnotbeeninitiallytoschoolandeventhosewhohad,theyweretaughtinArabicwhichisnotthecaseinCanada•Newarrivalsdon’ttrustservice-provideror-ganizationsatinitialmeetingbecauseofwhathappenedintheircountryoforigin•Findingsuitablepermanenthousingisaproblem.Theconcentrationofrefugeefami-liesinsomebuildings,especiallyatAlexander,iscreatingsilosandhinderingintegration

Opportunities:•Meetingtheneedtocreatemoreemploy-mentprograms,helprefugeestoknowCanadianvalues,language,culture,assistinginconnectionsandsuccessfullabormarketintegration•KAMwillcontinuetomeetwithsettle-mentproviders,engageactivelywithSyrianrefugeesanddifferentstakeholdersinclud-ingsponsorgroups.GiventheworkdonebygroupslikeKAMinpartnershipwithSPOs,thishighlightstheneedforethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupstoreceivegovern-mentfunding;theyareplayingakey(re)settlementrole

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Michelle Strain –Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO)

Promising-practices•Thecoordinationandcollaborationbetweenthedifferentgovernmentdepart-mentsandthesettlementproviderswasakeyfactorinthesuccessoftheinitiative.TheweeklycallsandimplementationofthedashboardallowedSPOstohaveaclearpictureofwheretheinitiativestoodinordertoplanforward•IncreasingMANSO’scapacitybyboththeFederalGovernmentandProvincialgovern-mentbyhiringrefugeeresponsecoordinators•ThecoordinationoftheRedCrosshotlinetomanagecallsforoffersofvolunteerismanddonations.Theoutpouringofofferswasoverwhelmingandverygenerous;withouttheRedCrossourmemberorganizationswouldnothavehadthecapacitytosuccess-fullymaximizethecommunitysupport•TheworkoftheSPOswasahugesuccess,theirflexibilitytorespondtoemergingneedsthroughouttheresettlementwasakeyfactorforsuccess•Theinterestfromavarietyoforganizationsonbuildingculturalcompetencyallowingforincreasedcapacityinworkingwithnewcomers

Challenges:•Thequicklychangingdynamicsandtime-linesthroughouttheinitiative•Managingthedisparitybetweenrefugeegroups•Managingtheexpectationsoftherefugeesthemselvesduetothelackofpre-arrivalorientation•Findingastorageandadistributionplanfordonations•ConnectingtoPrivateSponsorstoensureaconnectiontosettlementservices,bothinWinnipegandtheruralareas•Availabilityofsomeservicessuchasmentalhealthandtrainedinterpretersintheruralareas

Opportunities:•Tocontinuethedialogueandcollaborationbetweensettlementserviceprovidersandmainstreamorganization(forexample,devel-opingamentalhealthstrategy)•Theopportunitytoestablishseamless,coordinatedandcollaborativecoordinationofserviceswithinsettlementsoastomaximizeresourcesandminimizeduplication•Forsettlementproviderstocontinuedevel-opinginnovativeservicedeliverymodels•Brandon’sWestmanImmigrantServicesopeningasaRAPprovider•Inruralcommunitiesthenewfamiliesandthecommunityarecomingtogethertoworkonbuildingastrongercommunity

Questions to Panel Q: From the floor: Whathappenstosmallerfamilieswithfewerfinancialresources?A: From the panel:•Wewantfinancialindependenceforallrefugeesafter1year–ifnot,theymaygoonsocialassistance•Thepremiseofthisinitiativewastokeeppeopleoutofharm’swaybutitalsorequiresacollectiveefforttohelpthemandwewillcontinuetosupportthemintheprocessoftheirintegration•Employment–looktolong-term–workwithclients/agenciestomakelivesbetter•Employment,socialconnections,capacitytobuildincommunities,language–morebarriershurtprogress•Becomeindependentafter12months(gov-ernmentsupport)serviceproviderswanttohelp•Largefamiliesreceivemorefundingandsmallerfamiliesunabletopayfornecessities

Q: From the floor: Howdowefigureoutwhocoordinatesservices/whobringspeopletogether–whofacilitatesandtakeslead?A: From the panel:•Wehavesomestructurethatwasestab-lishedearlyonwhichwillcontinuetoserveusinthefuture•Itisnotonlyonekeyplayer,orgovernment,


itneedsacollectiveeffortfromallplayerssuchasSPOs,alllevelofgovernments,ethno-culturalandfaithcommunitygroups,privatecitizensetc.MANSOtoactassupportforcontinuedcollaboration•Coordinationismulti-stakeholderandison-going•Quarterlymeetingstoreceivefeedback•Manageresources/stafftoavoidduplication

Q: From the floor:Howcanethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsbebetterinvolvedatthebeginningoftheresettlementprocess?A: From the panel:•Therewillbemoreabilitytocoordinateandcollaborateinfuture•Achallengeislackofinformationandbeingunabletoaccessinformationofrefugees•Needtoovercomechallengeofnotbeingtakenseriouslybyserviceprovidersandfunders•Ifallowedaccesstorefugeestoknowwheretheyarecanbreaksocialisolation•Challengetoaccessinformationandtogetaresponsefromdifferentlevelsofgovernmentandserviceproviders•Workandshareinformationinhowtohelprefugeeclients•Orientationsandworkshopsaboutthe(re)settlementprocesswouldhelp;aswouldcollaborativelyidentifyingareaswhereethnoculturalandfaithgroupscancomple-menttheworkofSPOs,andviceversa•Concernsaboutprivacyaboutclients–safeguards–developtrustovertime

BREAK OUT DISCUSSIONS: COORDINATION AND RECEPTIONGroup 1: Coordination, Engagement, and Communications Participantsinthisgroupdiscussed:pre-planning,coordination,informationsharing,communityengagement,liaisingwithmedia,coordinationofdonations

Key success factors:Participantsappreciatedthehighlevelofcol-laborationandcoordinationbetweenvarious

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stakeholdersanddifferentlevelsofgovern-ment.“Eachhadexpertisetocontributetofullerpicture,eachhadseparatetasks”.Inaddition,theycitedthe:•Highleveloforganizational“buy-in”•Responsivenessofstaffthroughouttheset-tlementsectortochangingplansandscenarios•Responsivenessofmanyprovincialdepart-mentstoemergingneeds,includingthehousingdepartmentandthedepartmentofeducation•HighlevelofinterestfrommediainresponsePromising Practices:•Anappreciationfortheorganizationalca-pacityoftheEmergencyMeasuresOrganiza-tion(EMO)asamodelforurgentsituations.TheEMOmodelallowedacommonvisionofprogramsandservices,aswellasanabilitytoadapttoquicklymobilizeservices•Theweekly“check-in”callsandthedash-boardwerecitedasausefulmechanismforsharinginformationanddatathroughoutthesettlementsystem.Participantscitedaneedforweeklystatisticsandfeedbackonwhatwearedoingandhowfastwearegoingtomeettheneedsofrefugees•Increasedcollaborationbetweensettlementorganizationsandethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsledtobettersupportsforfamilies.Theongoingmeetingsbetweenset-tlementserviceprovidersandethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupscoordinatedbyIPW&MANSOwereoneusefulmechanismforinformationsharing•TheuseofTheRedCrossasacentralizedpointforcollectingoffersofdonationswascitedasapromisingpractice,althoughtherewerealsochallengeswithensuringamatchbetweenmessagesthroughtheRedCrossandtheneedsofservice-providersandcommunityorganizations•Anincreasedlevelofcollaborationamongschooldivisionsincludingintheschoolreg-istration,andinsupportingculturalcompe-tencytrainingandnewmodelsincludingtheN.E.E.D.S.communityconnectormodel•Increasedinvolvementbykeyprovincialdepartments,includingtheroleofthehousing

departmentintermsofassistingwithcoor-dinatingadditionaltemporaryaccommoda-tions.Thereisanongoingneedforoutreachtoothersectorsandgovernmentdepartmentsespeciallymentalhealth,generalhealthandemploymentandincomeassistance

Challenges:•Challengetocoordinatestrategyfromonedaytoanother–itwasnearlyimpossibletoplanwithaccuracyortopredictcertainprob-lemsorcomplications•Timingofdeployingfinancialresourceswasachallenge,asitcontributedtoalackofor-ganizationalcapacityatthetimewhentherewasthepeaklevelofplanningandcoordina-tionandpeaklevelofpublicinterest•Timingofmediainterestwaschallenging,andledtoanoverwhelmingresponsefromthepublic.Thesectorasawholewasinneedofabetterstrategyforvolunteerandcom-munitymanagement,includingorganizationalcapacity,tomanagein-kinddonations,andimprovedcommunicationwithmediaabouthowthepubliccouldmeaningfullycontribute.Inaddition,thesectorneededstrongercom-municationswiththemediatoeducatethepublicaboutotherrefugeepopulationsinordertodecreasedisparityinoffersofpublicsupport•Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupscontributedimmensely,butboththeyandthesectorneedaclearerunderstandingofrolesandresponsibilities,andtobuildtrustforfuturerelations

Gaps:•Severalparticipantscitedanongoingneedforimproveddataonprivatesponsorship,includ-ingacentralizeddatasharingtoolforservicesprovidersandmainstreamstakeholders•Thereisalsoanincreasedneedfortrainingforsponsors,includingperhapsaPrairiesRefugeeSponsorshipTrainingProgram(RSTP).Spon-sorgroupsandsponsoredrefugeesalsoneedaccesstobetterresourcesfromsettlementor-ganizations,perhapsabulletinboardofcurrentprograms,aswellasinformationonhowtoac-cessstaffifthesponsorsencounterchallenges


•Asignificantgapisalackofcoordinationonspecializedemploymentservices,includingspecializedlow-benchmarklanguagesupportforemployment(whichwasapre-existingservicegap).Weneedcoordinationtode-velopprogramsthataredesignedforrefugeeclients,includinghightraumaandlowEnglishrequirements,andsinglewomen•Existingservicesforhigh-needsclients,in-cludingdisabilityandchronichealthailments.SocietyforManitobanswithDisabilities(SMD)unabletogetresourcesneeded.Theyhavesevenstaffwithahugecaseloadofhigh-needsclients•Althoughethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupshavebeensignificantstakeholdersandserviceproviders,thereisanongoinglackoffinancialsupportforethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupstodowork.Theyneedtobeincludedinplanningandsupportedintheirrole

Opportunities:•Asaresultofthepublicinterest,manygovernment&mainstreamservicesdisplayedanincreasedinterestinculturalcompetencytraining.Thereisanongoingneedforcoordi-nationofthistraining•Thecomingreestablishmentofpilothost-matchingprogrammayleadtoincreasedopportunitiesformentorshipandsuccessfulsettlement•Thesettlementsector(andumbrellaorgani-zation)havetheopportunitytocastabroadernetintermsoffunderengagementandcommunityassets(includingprivatesectordonations).Theremaybecoordinationcapac-ityexistingelsewhereinthenon-profitsector(e.g.:VolunteerManitoba,211,etc.)•Thereisanopportunityforthesectortodevelopnewandresponsivemodels,includ-ingmobileESLservicesin“hotspots”•Thereisanopportunityforfurtherpartner-shipbetweenethnoculturalandfaithcommu-nitygroupsandsettlementorganizations

Group 2: Resettlement Services and Volunteer Management Workshopparticipantsdiscussed:airportreception,resettlementfacilities,RAPservicesandtheuseofvolunteers.

Key success factors:Participantsnotedthatthemajorityofclientshavebeenverypleasedwiththeassistancetheyhavereceivedfromservice-providers,butthatkeychallengesremain.•ThesupportandcoordinationbytheFed-eralandProvincialgovernments.KnowingtheSyrianprojectwasapriorityoftheCanadiangovernmentandmadeaprioritywithinthecommunityalongwiththefundingincreasebyIRCCprovidedRAPagenciesandfront-doorserviceprovidersthecapacitytoexpandhumanandphysicalresources.Agencieswereabletorespondquicklywithlimitednoticeorinformation•Thehighinterestandpositiveeffectofthemediaimpactedtheresponse•ThegenerosityofCanadianshasalsobeentremendous•Clientsarecominglookingforsupportforthewholegroup,notjustindividuals;theyarehelpingeachotherandhavearealsenseofcommunity

Promising practices:•TheWinnipegAirportsAuthoritywasveryhelpfultobothrefugeesarrivingandtheresettlementagencies.AccesstoaroomwasgrantedtotheRAPagenciesiffamilieswerewantingprivacyinparticularfromthemedia•Transportationfromtheairportswasgoodespeciallysincewehadlargefamiliesarriving•Therewascoordinationamongtheset-tlementserviceproviders,banks,ManitobaStart,immigrationofficers,MBHealthetc.inprovidingservicesonsiteattheRAPagencies•ThehotlineestablishedbytheRedCrosswasveryhelpfulbydirectingcallstooneplacereducingtheimpactonSPOs•ArabicspeakingstaffhelpedfindcommunityvolunteersthatspokeArabicthusincreasingthecapacityoftheRAPandsettlementagencies

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•Co-ordinationbyMANSO;theweeklyphonecallskeptSPOsuptodateonarrivalinformationandtheemergingneedsoftheclients;therebyallowingSPOstoexpandtomeetthedemandoftheincreasedneedforservicesandprogramming•TherentsupplementprovidedbytheProv-incewasinstrumentalingettingclientsfromtemporaryaccommodationtopermanenthousingwithinthetimeframeallottedbyIRCC•Volunteermanagementplayedakeyroleincoordinationofservicesintemporaryaccom-modations.Thepre-existingvolunteernetworkatAccueilFrancophoneincreasedthecapacityofsettlementworkers.Theirnetworkwasalsoexpandedduetotherefugeeresponse•UsingAssiniboineAvenueasatemporaryaccommodationworkedextremelywell.MIICstaffwereabletomovetheirofficestheretoaccommodateclientsandthespaceworkedforhavingorientations.AllSyrianrefugeesweresettledinpermanenthousing,notasingleSyrianstayedinahotel

Challenges:•CommunicationbetweenIRCCandRAPagencieswaschallenging,thisresultedinafewcasesofrefugeesbeingstrandedattheairport.Thetimeframeof“notificationofarrival”wasoftensoshortthatitwasdifficulttobeabletorespondandarrangefortrans-portation(ortocoordinatewithWinnipegTransitwhichhadofferedsupport)•Thereweresomechallengesnavigatingtheopeningofothertemporaryaccom-modations.MIICwasnotconsultedbytheProvinceabouthousingpeopleattheAlexandertemporaryaccommodation;therewereanumberofissuesandchal-lengesinusingthistemporaryaccommoda-tion.WhenAlexanderstartedtobecomeapermanenthousingoption,therefugeesthemselveswereconfusedastowhowasintemporaryhousingandwhowasinper-manenthousingandwhatserviceswereofferedandtowhom•BridgeCareClinicwasunabletoaccommo-dateallrequestsduetotheirlackofcapacity;

usingPublicHealthNurseswasmoredifficult•Theclientsthatarrivedhadlowlanguagelevels,notenoughpre-arrivalinformation,manyhadhealthanddentalconcerns;alloftheseconcernsputpressureonthesettle-mentcounselors•AlthoughfundingwasincreasedtherewasatimelagwhentheSPOsneededmorehumanresources•AseniormemberofWinnipeg’sestablishedSyriancommunitymentionedthathehadheardofissuesofconcernfromsomenewlyarrivedSyriansabouttheattitudeofArabicspeakingsettlementstaffrecentlyhiredbyRAPagencies•Familysizehashadanimpactoninitialresettlement;smallfamiliesatadisadvantageduetomoneyandlargefamilieswhorelyonchildtaxbenefitarebuyingTVs,cars,etcwhenthefirstlargechequecomesin•Therewasadiscussionaboutpre-paringforlifeafterRAPandthecycleRAP>Welfare>Poverty.Establishedcom-munitymembersareconcernedthatthisiswheremanyoftheSyriansareheaded,andfeelthatservice-providersneedtoofferhopetorefugeeclients•Althoughusingvolunteerswasextremelyusefulthereweresomecaseswhereclientsdevelopedarelianceonvolunteersanddidnotwanttolearntodothingsontheirown,suchasgroceryshopping,takingthebus

Gaps:•DespitethevolumeofSyriansarriving,thetemporarystaffatMIICarebeingletgoattheendofJuly,thiswillseriouslyimpedetheorganization’sabilitytodofollowupwithclients.RAPprovidersneedmoreresourcesforongoingsettlementservices.DrawaclearlinebetweenRAPandsettlement•Thereareyouthstrugglingwiththeafter-mathoftrauma-thereneedstobeaplaninplaceforhowtohelpthemmoveforward•Addressingthehealthneedsoftherefugees;thesheervolumeofclientswithhealthanddentalneedscontinuestoaddpressurefortheRAPagencies


•Thereisaneedtodevelopabigpictureemploymentstrategy;viableemploymentoptionsneedtobeexploredandaplanofhowtomanageemploymentwhilestillencourag-inglanguageacquisition,lookatpossiblelanguageclassalternatives.RAPpaymentswillendinafewmonthsandmanyoftherefugeeswillnotbeemploymentreadyduetolanguagelevels•Workneedstobedoneoncredentialrecognition/recognitionofemploymentskillssotherefugeesareabletofindmeaningfulemploymentthatwillallowthemtocarefortheirfamilies

Opportunities:•Serviceproviderswouldliketohavemoreflexibilitywithfunding(timing/use,etc.)inordertobestservetheirclients•ManagingexpectationsoftherefugeescominginsincetheyexpectedmoreandalsoweresuspiciousofthefactresourceswereavailableandRAPagenciesdidnotwanttoprovidethem•Continuingtheincreasedcoordinationandcollaborationamongthesettlementserviceproviderswouldbebeneficialforallnewcomers•Itwouldbebeneficialtoextendthetimeframeweusetoorienttherefugeesthatarearriving

Group 3: Connection to Supports Participantsinthisgroupdiscussed:Initialneedsassessments,partnershipsforearlysupports,connectionsbetweensponsorsandsettlementorganizations,casemanagementforvulnerableclients.

Key success factors:•Flexibilityandanopennesstopartnership•Maintainwelcomingcommunitiesandthemomentum•Peopleandinstitutionswereopentoculturalcompetencytraining

Promising Practices:•Theincreasedcoordinationefforts,includingtheconferencecalls,dashboards,andprovin-cialcoordinationstrategythroughtheEmer-

gencyMeasuresOrganization.Itwashighlight-edthatcommunicationbetweenthemanagersinattendanceatthesecoordinationeffortsandfront-linestaffwaskeytothesuccess•Effortstoimprovecommunicationbetweenprivatesponsorgroupsandsettlementser-viceproviders,includingthenetworkingandinformationfairhostedbyMANSOinApril,andparticipantshadrecommendationstoimproveandbuildonthiswork.Itwasnotedthatprivatesponsorgroupsdevelopedstrongandmutuallysupportiverelationshipswithethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups•Theprovisionof“on-site”servicesatthetemporaryaccommodationswasanex-tremelyimportantsupport,andincludedthevisitsfromPublicHealthNursestoreceptioncentres,aswellasearlyconnectionswithotherservice-providers•The“express”orientation(orientationnormallytakes2weeks,forSyriansdoneingroupsin1weekatEntryProgram).Althoughsomenewarrivalsreporteditbeingtomuchinformation,toofast•Serviceshavebeenpro-activeinoffer-ingnewprograms,includingexpansionsofexistinglanguageclassesandchildmindingprograms,andofferingnewpreventativepro-gramslikeparentingthatcanpreventinvolve-mentwithChildandFamilyServices(CFS)

Challenges:•Thereferralprocesswasachallenge,assomeofthenormalreferralprocedureswerealteredduringthesurgetoaccommodateincreasedarrivals.Forexample,BridgeCareCliniconlyacceptedGARsbutnotBVORsandPSRs•Serviceprovidersciteaneedforacoordinat-edresettlementneedsassessmentformforRAPorSPOs,aswellasastandardizedneedsassessmentprocessacrossallSPOs•ThereisadisparitybetweenprovisionofservicesforGARsandPSR/BVORSandinfor-mationprovided.Privatesponsorssometimesarenotsurewhichservicesareavailabletoprivately-sponsoredrefugees,andwhichareonlyavailabletoGARs.Privatesponsor

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groupswouldbenefitfromaManitoba-specif-icguidetosettlement•DisconnectbetweennationalSponsorshipAgreementHolders(SAHs)andlocal/Provincialsettlementprocesses(sometimestheSAHswereunawareoflocalnuanceintheguidancetheyoffertolocalgroups)•Theshorttimelines,includingshortertimesintemporaryaccommodationmeantthatfamilieshadlesstimetodevelopnetworksofresourcespriortomovingintopermanentaccommodation.Therewereconcernsaboutfamilies“fallingthroughthecracks”afterthetransitiontopermanentaccommodation,andnotbeingconnectedtocommunity-levelresources.SomerecommendedthatGARsbeallowedtoremainintemporaryaccommoda-tionforatleasttwoweeks•Therearechallengeswithsomeclientsbeingsettledinareaswithfewerservicesforrefugeesandlimitedtransportation,thereisconcernaboutwomenbeingleftathomealonealldaywiththechildrenandbecomingisolated.WomenneedtobemadeawareofrightsavailabletotheminCanada•Althoughthe“express”orientationwascitedasasuccess,therewerealsosomecon-cernsabouttheprovisionoffirst-languageservicesforSyrians(e.g.:Arabic-onlyser-vices)andtheimpactonothernewcomers,includingotherrefugees•Privacyisahugebottle-neckinregardtosharinginformationbetweenSPOs,ethnocul-turalandfaithcommunitygroupsandothersectors.Protectingclientconfidentialityalsocreatesachallengetoestablishopenlinesofcommunicationwithinsettlementservices,includingNeighbourhoodImmigrantSettle-mentWorkers(NISWs)andschool-basedsupportslikeinter-culturalsupportworkers•EthnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsneedtobeprovidedwithbetteropportunitiestoconnectwiththeSyrianrefugeesbecausethisconnectionisvitalinprovidingsocialsup-portsneeded•Althoughthesupportofnon-traditionalpartnerswasverymuchappreciated,educatingthenewplayersandnegotiating

rolesandresponsibilitiesintheSyrianinitiativetakesalotoftime.Itwaschallengingtorespondtoalloffersofpartnershipintighttimelines•Itcreatedastarkdisparitybetweendifferentgroupsofrefugees,forexampletransporta-tionloanswerewaivedforsomeSyrians•Therewasasteeplearningcurveforethno-culturalandfaithcommunitygroupsabouttheresettlementprocessandhelpingtheSyrianrefugees•Changeindemographicinformation(whotheythoughtwasarrivingvswhodid,example:aRAPproviderwasinformedofhearinglossinachild,whichturnedoutnottobethecase)

Gaps:•Thereisanongoingneedformorepreventa-tiveprogramsintheareaofparenting,CFSinvolvement,mentalhealth,EIA,etc.•AneedforexpansionofEALclasseswithchildminders•Anongoingneedforpubliceducationtopreventracism•Transportationwascitedasamajorobstacleinhelpingfamiliesaccesssomeoftheexist-ingsupports•Serviceprovidersinruralareasnotedthattheydon’thavethespecializedservicesavail-able,includinginterpretationservicesandmentalhealthsupports

Moving Forward:•Toaddressthechallengespresentedbypri-vacylegislation,serviceprovidersneedsomecombinedworkshopsonwhatlegislationallowsorprohibitsSPOstoshare•Serviceprovidersneedcontinuedcommu-nicationsandcoordinationstrategiestostayawareofwhatprogrammingotheragenciesaredoing•Continuetoincludeethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsinplanning,andensurethattheyareawareofthecontentofini-tialorientationsessionsthatRAPagenciesprovide•Continuetokeepnewconnections•Continuetodevelopandofferculturalcom-


petencytrainingtomainstreamorganizationsworkingwithrefugees•Thereistheopportunitytobuildonahigherlevelofengagementbetweensettlementorganizationsandethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups.Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsshouldbeconsultedintheinitialresettlementplanning•Aninclusiveapproachwillalsoallowrefugeefamiliestoplayaroleinhelpingotherrefugees•Continuingtobuildonpubliceducationonracism•Establishastandardizedneedsassessmentforallagencies•EstablishaformalresettlementprocesstoBVORsandPSRs.ClarifyeligibilityofPSRsandBVORsforservicesincludingaccesstoBridgeCareClinic•StrengthentheconnectionbetweenPSRsandSPOs

PLENARY: PROMISING PRACTICES, CHAL-LENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES – INITIAL SETTLEMENTThesecondplenarymovedpastthereceptionphaseintotheveryearlysettlementsupports.Panelistsfromavarietyofserviceprovidersandotherstakeholdersexaminedthreekeysettlementissues,includingeducation(forbothchildren/youthandadults),healthandhousing.Thediscussionhelpedtoinformconversationsinthreebreak-outgroupswhichfollowedtheplenary.Heather Robertson – Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services (N.E.E.D.S. Inc.)

Promising practices:•Theexpansionoftheintroprogram,whichhasbeenoperatingfor10yearstoincludeallGARchildrenwhoarrivedbetweenDecember2015andMarch2016•Routinesareimportantforprogramming,especiallyforchildrenandyouthwithinter-ruptedschooling(ornoschoolexperience).ThishelpsstudentsadapttoManitobaclass-roomnormspriortoschoolentry•BeneficialtohavestaffthatspeakArabic,as

wellashavinginterpretersonsite.InthiswaytheywereabletobalanceearlyexposuretoEnglishwithcommunicatingkeyinformationinArabicChallenges: •Thehighnumberandquickpaceneces-sitatedchangestoorganizationalprocesses,includingcreatingnewsystems,rentingschoolbusesfortransitiontimesfortranspor-tationandfeedingkids.TheorganizationwassurprisedbythenumberofarrivalsinDecem-ber,andhadtroublemanagingdemandsonresources(spaceandstaff)duringthistime•Gettingchildrentotheprogram,needpartnerstoreferyouthandtoengageyouthinprogramming•TheshortertimesintemporaryhousingrequiredtheIntroprogramtocondensetheircurriculum,soalotofyouthdidnotgetalloftheprogramcontentsuchasusingtranspor-tationorclassroompreparation

Opportunities:•N.E.E.D.S.createdthecommunityconnectorprogram,whichwillprovidesomesupportstorefugeestudentsinsomeofthemostaffectedschools(includingsomeschoolsthathavefewrefugeestudents,butareinareasthathavenotdevelopedrefugeeprograms).Thecommunityconnectorswillorganizecross-culturalactivitiesinschooltoallowstudentstofeelconnectedwithschoolcommunity•Alotofmediaattentionrecentlyforpeoplecomingtogethertohelpyouthwhichbringsnewopportunitiesforcollaboration

Debra Schweyer –Winnipeg English Language Assessment and Referral CentreAll newcomers who wish to attend either English or French language classes in Winnipeg must first have their language as-sessed at WELARC. They are then referred to an adult language training program.

Promising practices: •WELARCandtheothercentralizedintakeagencieswereabletoadapttheirusualprocesstomeettheneedsofalargenumberofarrivalsbydoinglanguageassessmentsfor

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manyclientspriortoparticipationinEntryProgram.Thisallowedtimeforprogramstoexpandprogrammingasneededtorespondtotherealneedsofstudents.Priortotheseassessments,therewasaperceptionthattherewashigherlevelofeducationandlan-guageabilitythanthereality.MovingforwardWELARCmighttweakthereferralprocesssothatreferralscouldbedoneearlierChallenges:•Theorientationprocesswenttoofastforparticipantstogetalloftheinformationneeded,andthensomeneededtowaitonawaitinglistfollowingorientationforlanguageclasses.Thismeansthatlanguageprovid-erslateronarefindingthattheirclientshavemoresettlementneedsthanusual•WELARCdidalotofnegotiationwithfami-liesinordertogettheparentsintolanguageclasseswithchildcare(balancingneedsofbothparentswithchildcareoptions,schoolpick-ups,etc.)Attimes,thefamilywasnotreadyforcertainoptions,andafterashorttimetheyweremorewillingtoexplorevarioussolutions.Forsomefamilies,intherushtodothingsquickly,werushedtooquickly

Hani Al-Ubeady – MIIC – HousingHousing is the most challenging factor in settlement, and during the refugee response, RAP providers had a limit of 10 days to move clients from temporary to permanent accom-modations. In general, MIIC met this dead-line, but they encountered challenges.Challenges:•Paperworknotbeingprocessedforsomefamiliespresentedimmediatechallenges•Becauseofthepace,thehousingteamneededtotrainnewstaffandsimultaneouslymovefamilies.Itwasachallengetocoordi-natedepartmentstomeetthehousinggoals

Promising practices:•Coordinationwithcity,provincial,andfederalgovernments–tosettlemanypeopleinonlyafewmonths

•SetprecedentfortherestofCanadaandprovincestosettlemoreinthefuture

Sheri Larsen-Celhar –BridgeCare Clinic, WRHABridgeCareClinicis5yearsoldandprovidesspecializedprimarycareforGARsintheirfirstyearinCanada,includingpregnancyscreening,vision,hearing,screeningforHIV/hepatitis,mentalhealthassessments,physicaltests,aswellasimmunizations.Attheendoftheyear,BridgeCareClinicconnectstheclientwithaprimarypermanenthealth-careprovider.

Promising practices:•ConnectingSyrianstoprimary-healthcareproviders

Challenges:•AsBridgeCareClinicdidnothavecapacitytoseealloftheclients,PublicHealthNursesdidinitialtriagingofclientsinthetemporaryaccommodations,andmedicallycomplexcasesweretobereferredtotheclinic(includingthosewithdevelopmentdelays,mentalhealthissues,equipmentneeds,severehealthissues)•BridgeCareClinicwasnotdirectlyinvolvedwiththeplanningprocess.Thereneededtobeclearercommunicationaboutreferral,andbettercommunicationpathsbetweenpublichealthandBridgeCareClinic.PublicHealthNursesprovideddetailedphysicalandmentalhealthinformation,butsometimesinforma-tionthatwasreceivedwasnotclearorunder-stoodandBridgeCareClinichadtoreassess•Manywomenwerepregnantandhadtodeliverinthesamemonth,whichwasun-expected.Onephysicianwhocomesonceaweektodeliverwasoverwhelmed•Asmanyclientssettledoutsideofthecorearea,thereweresomecomplaintsaboutthedifficultyofaccessingtheclinicdowntown•Insomecases,clientshadalreadybeenconnectedwithhealthcareprofessionals,resultingindoubledoctoring


Yasmin Ali –Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute (CMWI)

Promising practices: •CMWIprovidessettlementservicesregard-lessoffaithandactedasa‘secondhome’duringthewintermonthsforfamiliesatWelcomePlace.Aswell,CMWIservedasadonationdepotandpreparedwelcomepack-agesforthefamilies.ThisdemonstrateshowacommunityorganizationcancomplementservicesofferedbyaRAPSPO.TheirArabicspeakingstaffalsohelpedclientstoconnectwithresources,andwereabletobuildtrustwithclients.Thistrustwaskeytohelpingclientstofeelcomfortablewithimportantdecisions(likechoosingtoacceptpermanentaccommodationsofferedbyMIICstaff)•CMWIwasapproachedbyWinnipegHarvesttoservetheMuslimpopulation–toidentifywhichproductsareHalalandwhicharen’t•Astherewasattimesalackofactivityforthemen,CMWIwasabletofillthegap.Themengottomeetandsocializeamongeachothertoalleviatementalstressandanguish

Challenges: •Theyusuallysee10-15clientsaday,butaftertheinitialintakebegantoseeabout50perday,whichwasachallengewithasmallstaff.Volunteerscouldnotvolunteerduringthetimesthattheagencyneededthem(onlyweekendsandevenings).Volunteersstruggledwithvolunteer“fatigue”•Communityagenciesneedtoseetheirrolerecognizedandsupportedinthebroaderset-tlementsystem

Nour Ali –Kurdish Association of Manitoba (KAM)

Challenges:•Strugglestofindappropriatepermanentaccommodationhaveledtomanyfamilieslivinginoneapartmentblock,whichleadstoconcernsaboutlanguagelearning,healthandintegration

DID YOU KNOW?ThroughtheIPWSummerRefugeeYouthEngagementStrategy,IRCCinvested$55,500foradditionalsummeryouthprogramming.Avarietyofweekday,eveningandweekendprogramswereofferedthroughIslamicSocialServicesAssociation(ISSA)ManitobaIslamicAssociation(MIA)andKurdishAssociationofManitoba(KAM).

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•AsmallnumberoffamilieshavebeeninWin-nipegforsixmonthsanddonotyethaveanEnglishclass,thishasanespeciallybigimpactonwomen.Thereisanopportunitytodevelopsomecreativesolutionstomeettheseneeds•KAMfeelsthereisaneedforasettlementworkertobeoncall24/7incaserefugeeshavehealthemergenciesandneedsupport.Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupscannotoffertheseservicesunfunded.Theywanttopartnernotvolunteerwiththesector• TheRedCrosshadprovidedsometime-limitedfundingsupporttotheIslamicSocialServicesAssociationtostaffa“24/7”phonelineservicetoprovideinformationinArabic,butthisservicehassincestopped

Arisnel Mesidor –Mennonite Central Committee

Promising practices:•Sponsorgroupsoftenhaveacertainindividualorgrouptaskedwithlocatingthepermanentaccommodation,andfamiliesaretypicallyabletomovedirectlyintotheirpermanentaccommodation.Thesegroupsareabletoreachouttolandlordsandrentalagen-ciestoengagetheminwelcomingnewcomers•Whenitispossibletoconnectwithmedicalservicespriortothearrivalofnewcomerfami-liestoletthemknowthattheyarecoming,itcanleadtogoodconnections.Itisalsohelpfultobeconnectedwiththerelativesandfriendsfromoriginalcountry,whocanhelptopreparethefamily

Challenges: •Somelandlordswon’trentapartmentstofamiliesof6peopleletalonelargerfamiliesof11-13people.Itshouldbeillegaltorefuseafamilyduetothenumberofpeopleinit•SomehealthcareproviderswouldnotaccepttheInterimFederalHealthprograminsur-ance,andwerenotwillingtoregisterwiththeprogram.Moreinterventionatasystemiclevelmayhelp•Transportationcanpresentabarriertoaccessingeducationalopportunitiesoutside

oftheK-12system.Sometimessponsorsareabletoprovidetransportationsupport,butitistime-consuming•Somerefugeeshavehadnoorlittleschool-ingandfindthesystemveryconfusing.Teach-ersnotusedtoworkingwithrefugeesarenotalwaysabletohelpthemadjust

Q: From the Floor:–DopanelistsuseHealthlinksorhaveexperiencewithusingHealthLinks–forrefugees?Interpretationisavailablethroughthesystem.A: From the panel •YouneedtouseEnglishtonavigatetheinitialcallsystem,whichpresentsahugebar-rier,plustheserviceoftentellcallerstogotoEmergency

BREAK-OUT DISCUSSIONS: INITIAL SETTLEMENTGroup 1: Education and Language Training (Adult and Youth)Participantsinthisgroupdiscussed:Youth and adult orientation, language assessment and refer-ral, language training and education

Key Success Factors:•Agenciesdemonstratedanabilitytoquicklyadapttheirprogrammingtoincreasednum-bers,includingN.E.E.D.S.rentingschoolbuses•Availabilityofvolunteers•Regularcommunicationbetweentemporaryaccommodationsandserviceproviders•FinancialandinstructionalsupportfromtheDepartmentofEducationtoschoolswithmanynewstudents,schoolsfeltsupportedbytheDepartmentofEducation•EngagementoftheDepartmentofEduca-tionandschooldivisionswithsector,leadingto‘magical’thingshappenedwithineduca-tionsector•Flexibilityinordertoworkwithnon-traditionalpartners•Clientsareeagertolearnandparticipateinclasses


Promising Practices:•Thecollaborationbetweenthethreecentral-izedintakeagencies(ManitobaStart,AlteredMindInc.–EntryProgramandWELARC)withWelcomePlacewassuccessful•Datasharingbetweenserviceprovidersandgovernmentenabledbetterplanning.Forexample,reportswentfromN.E.E.D.S.totheprovincialeducationdepartment,aswellasschooldivisionsreportingtoprovince•TheincreasedinvestmentfromImmigration,RefugeesandCitizenshipCanadadidallowforincreasedprogrammingatlowerCLBlevels,andallowedsomeprogramstoreducetheirwaitlists•WELARCwaswillingtonegotiateandproblem-solvewithclientsindividually,inordertohelpthemfindalanguagetrainingsolutionthatwouldworkfortheirfamily•Becausenotallclientsareabletoattendfull-timelanguageclasses,additionalstrate-giesareneeded.ThesupportofNeighbour-hoodImmigrantSettlementWorkersincoordinatingconversationcirclesattheneigh-bourhoodlevelincreasesaccess,especiallyformotherswithyoungchildren•Languageprovidershavebeenflexibleinaddingsupportstomeettheneedsoftheirstudents.Forexample,WSD1isofferingapilotprogramofclinicalsupportservicesinlanguageprovision,aswellasotherin-housesupports•ThetransitionfromtheIntroProgramatN.E.E.D.S.intoschoolwaschallenging,buthasledtosomepositivechanges.InWinnipegSchoolDivision1,forexample,K-12Studentassessmentswillsoonbedoneattheschoollevel,ratherthandivisionallevel.Thereweresomechallengeswithconsistencyofassess-mentsduringtheinflux.HearingandvisionscreeningwasdoneduringtheorientationprogrammingatN.E.E.D.Sforrefugeechildren,whichhelpedtoensureasuccessfulstart•Someschooldivisionsaredevelopinginno-vativesolutionstomeettheneedsofrefugeeclients,forexample,aspecialisttoworkwithafamilyofschool-agedchildrenonthingslikeEAL.Theprogramcanbeatthesamelocationfortheageofthestudents

Challenges:•AsmanyclientshaveliteracyneedsintheirfirstlanguageaswellasEnglish,thishasbeenachallengetoprovideappropriatelanguagetraining•Theacceleratedorientationmeantthatmanyclientsneededfurtherorientationinlanguageclasses.Manyfeltthatthefamiliesreceivedtoomuchinformationintooshortaperiodoftime,andthatamorerelaxedpacewouldhavebetterservedtheclients.Inaddition,asclientshavedifferentinformationneedsandreadi-ness,theyneedtoknowhowtore-connectwithsupportswhentheyareneeded•Englishlanguageismademandatorylearn-ingandFrenchisnotgivenasanoption•Ongoingnegotiatingwithclientsaboutreferralsistime-consumingforWELARC,andoccasionallyreferralproceduresledtosomeconfusionforclients.Someclientswantmorehoursinclassthantheyareabletoaccess•Inspiteoftheclearneedforprogrammingwithchildminding,theextensiveregulationsfromCMASmadeaddingadditionalprogramsmoredifficult.Althoughsomeprogramswereabletoexpand,thereisstillaneedformoreprogramswithchildminding.Therearealsosomeongoinggapsinchildmindingsupport,includingforEntryProgram•Specializedsupports–includingtheEn-tryProgramforOlderAdults–arenotwellknown,anditischallengingtogettheinfor-mationout•ThereisaneedforastrategytocollateinformationaboutinformalESLclasses(includ-ingconversationcircles)aswellascomputerclasses,astherearemanyresourcesprovidedbynon-traditionalpartners•Communitypartnerscontributealot,buttheirrolesarenotalwaysclear.Sometimescommunitygroupswereunabletomakereferralsintoformalsystems•Thelackofcomprehensiveinformationaboutarrivalsofprivatelysponsoredrefu-geesmakesplanningdifficultfortheformaleducationsystem,especiallyoutsideofmajorcentres.Becausetheydonothavecompre-hensivedataonarrivals,itisimpossibleto

DID YOU KNOW?NewcomerEmploymentandEducationDevelopmentServices(N.E.E.D.S)throughtheCommunityConnectionsProgramworkedwith12schoolsandatotalof741clientsincluding284returningclientsand181parentsofchildrenattendingtheprogram.

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confirmthatschool-agedchildreninprivatelysponsoredfamiliesareregisteredforschool•Inaddition,thereareprogrammingoptions(e.g.:summerESLclassesforschool-agedyouth)inWinnipegthatarenotavailableoutsidethecity•TherewassomeconfusionamongRAPproviderswhenschoolregistrationprocedureschangedduringtheinflux.Thisresultedinsomechildrenbeingdelayedintheirregistra-tionprocess•Somestudentscontinuetostrugglewiththeirclassroomplacement(basedonageandnotskills).Thisisespeciallytrueinschoolsthatdonothaveasmuchexperienceworkingwithrefugeechildren(orchildrenwithinter-ruptededucation),includingsomeschoolsinruralareas.Aspecialconcernwasflaggedforboysaged12-14whoneedsupportastheyadapttotheschoolenvironment•Somenotedthattherehasbeensomeresistancefromparentstoenrollchildreninschool,andsomechallengeswithattendance.Accueilfrancophonenotedthattheyregularlyreceivephonecallsfromschoolsconcernedaboutattendance•Olderyouthbeingchallengedtogointocareer/tradestrainingversuseducationforemployability•Assomeschoolswereatcapacity,somestudentswereplacedinschoolsthatwerenotclosetotheirpermanentaccommoda-tion,whichmeansthattheirneighborhoodintegrationismorechallenging,andalsocanpresentsomelogisticalchallengesforfamilies(variousschoolbusschedules)•Insomeschooldivisions(orschools),lunchprogramswereeitherfullorcost-prohibitiveforfamilies.ThismeantthatsomeparentsstruggledtoattendESLclassesduetotheneedtopickuptheirchildrenatlunch.Strate-giestoensurethatallrefugeechildrenareabletoaccesslunchprograms(includingpossiblesubsidies)areneeded•Aswell,therecontinuestobealackofage-appropriateprogrammingforolderyouth(ages19-21)whohaveinterruptededucationandalsoneedESLtraining.Thereisaneed

forspecializedlanguage/education/employ-mentprogrammingfortheseolderyouth/youngadultsOpportunities:•Aneedforsummerprogramming–inthecityandinruralareas–andtodoextensiveinformationsharing•Differentkindsofeventsthatengagecommu-nitysupports(socialevents,learningevents)•Ongoingengagementwithethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups,includingthepotentialforschoolstoengageethnoculturalandfaithcommunityorganizationsininform-ingstaffandstudents,reducingstigma•FlexibilityinEALandchildminding,includingserviceprovidersseekingdiversesourcesoffundingforchildmindingprograms•Developingresponsiveprogrammingtomeetemergingneeds,includingEALpro-gramsformotherswithyoungchildren,aswellasprogrammingformenandseniors.Datacollectionisneededtosupportthedevelopmentoftheseprograms

Group 2: Health ServicesParticipantsinthisgroupdiscussed:mental and physical health needs of refugees, particu-larly immediate health needs such as dental care.

Promising Practices:•ServiceprovidersacrossthesectorareunitedinthebeliefthattheBridgeCareClinicmodeloffersthebestmodelofservicedeliveryforrefugeeclientsandleadstothebestoutcomes.GiventhattheWRHAwasunabletoquicklyincreasethecapacityoftheclinictodealwiththeincreaseddemands,serviceprovidersappreciatedthesup-portofferedbyPublicHealthNurses,whodidon-sitevisitstofamiliesintemporaryaccommodation,andassistedwithrefer-ralstoclinicsandurgentcareasneededtoaddressimmediatehealthconcerns,aswellasassistingwithvision,hearingandimmu-nizationscreenings.Duringthisperiod,theycontinuedtorefersomecasestoBridgeCareCliniciftheywereidentifiedashavingmore


complexhealthneeds(e.g.:adisability,anidentifiedmentalhealthneed,pregnancy)•WRHA’sLanguageAccessCentrehaspro-videdmanyclientswithaccesstointerpretersatimportantpoints.Someserviceprovidersindicatedthatclientsalsohaveadditionalneedsforculturalbrokeringwhichisnotcov-eredbytheWRHAinterpreters•Sharinginformationofhealthcareproviders,availabilitytoshareinformationtoallphysicianswhomaybeinterestedinservingrefugees•Communitypsycho-socialsupportsthatalsoofferaccesstocounselling(e.g.:MountCarmelClinicandAuroraFamilyTherapyCentre)havebeenvaluablealliesforreferrals

Challenges:•TherewasaconcernthattheprovincialcoordinationdidnotdirectlyincludeBridge-CareClinicorotherhealthproviderswithrefugeeexpertise,andasuggestionthatsomeplanningmaybebetterplacedatthemunici-pallevel,wheredecisionmakersareawareofthelocalplayers•Therewerechallengesaroundcommunica-tionandclarityofservices,includingchangestoreferralpathways.AstheRAPprovidersareaccustomedtoworkingwithBridgeCareClinic,makingreferralstoprimaryhealthphysiciansforthoseclientswhowerenotreferredtotheclinicwasattimeschallenging,anditwasdifficulttoconfirmthatallclientshadnotonlybeenreferredtoaprimaryhealthcareprovider,buthadaccessedtheirservices.Accueilfran-cophonenotesthatsomeoftheirclientshaddifficultaccessingaprimarycarepractitioner•Ingeneral,RAPprovidersspentmoretimethanusualfacilitatingaccesstomedicalservices,includingaparticularlylargeburdenofdentalcareappointments.InafewcasesthatsomehealthinformationwasprovidedforfamiliespriortotheirarrivalinCanada,theRAPproviderswerebetterabletorespondtothefamily’sneeds•Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitymembershaveneededtoprovideextensivesupportstoclientstohelpthemnavigatethehealthcaresystem,andhaveencoun-

teredchallenges,includingphysicianswithlittleexpertiseindealingwithrefugees,andphysicianswhotreattheclientssimilartoanyotherpatient,anddonotprovideanykindofcomprehensivehealthassessmentorreferrals

Gaps:•ThereisagapintheInterimFederalHealthprogramintermsofcoveringthecostsofinterpretationforappointmentswithapsychologist.The10appointmentscoveredthroughIFHcouldbeagoodsupportforsomefamilies,butarenotusefulwithoutfundingforatrainedinterpreter•Thereisanongoingcriticalgapinnon-emergencydentalcareforbothPSRs/BVORsandGARs.BothRAPserviceprovidersandsponsorshavefoundsomesmall-scalesolu-tions(includingasmallnumberofdentistsofferingpro-bonoservices,andsomeexist-ingdentalaccessprogramsincludingMountCarmelClinicandtheUniversityofManitobaFacultyofDentistry),howeverthesesolutionsarenotsufficientlylarge-scaletomeettheneedsofallrefugeefamilies,andthereisalackofcentralizedinformationaboutthem•TheWRHACrisisResponseCentreplaysanimportantrole,butisonlyhelpfulforacutecases.TheRAPprovidersidentifyaneedformoresupportwithclientsthathavementalhealthconcernsthatarenotacute,andtheclientdoesnotwantassistance.Inaddition,theformalmentalhealthsystemwasnotwellinformedonthecommunitylevelssupports,includingsettlementsupports,andunclearontheirroleinpromotingpositivementalhealth,andofferingsupportsoutsideoftheformalsystem•Ingeneral,thereisanincreasedneedforculturallyappropriatementalhealthservicesfornewcomers

Opportunities:•ParticipantsidentifiedtheneedforincreasedsupportforBridgeCareClinic,andtheop-portunityforincreasedcollaborationbetweencommunityPublicHealthNursesandBridge-

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CareClinic,whichwouldallowforsomesharedresponsibilityfortherefugeeresponse.TheRAPprovidersidentifythattheywouldinthefuturereferawholefamilytoBridgeCareClinic,ratherthanjustafamilywithcomplexhealthneeds•Thereisaneedtoofferbetter(specialized,centralized)servicestoprivatelysponsoredrefugees,aswellastoincludeprivatespon-sorsandhealthprovidersoutsideoftheCityofWinnipegincoordinationefforts•IRCCcouldimprovethequalityofmedicalinformationavailabletotheRAPproviderspriortoclientsarriving(especiallyincomplexcases,andthosewithmentalhealthconcerns)

Group 3: HousingParticipantsinthisgroupdiscussed:tempo-raryaccommodationsandthetransitiontopermanentaccommodations.

Promising Practices:•Theapproachofusingalternatetemporaryaccommodationsprovedsuccessful,asnotasingleSyrianrefugeestayedinahotelastheyhadtoinotherprovinces.Theprovincepro-vidingMIICtheuseofalternativetemporaryaccommodationsitesworkedextremelywell•Theprovince’sRentSupplementprogramhelpedRAPagenciestofindpermanentac-commodationinaverylimitedtimeframe.Thiswasextremelybeneficialwhenworkingwiththelargefamilies.AlltheSyrianrefugeesfromtheinitialwavearesettledinpermanentaccommodations•ArelationshipwasbuiltbetweentheRAPagenciesandethnoculturalandfaithcommu-nitygroups;thiswasanimportantaspectinthehousingsearch

Challenges:•Itwasextremelychallengingtomovepeoplebasedonadeadlinesetbythefederalgovern-ment.ThispressuretomovepeopleintendaysresultedinabacklashtowardstheRAPagencywhenclientsmovedtopermanentaccommodation•MIICopposedtheideaofchangingAlexander

toapermanentaccommodationfromthebeginningbecauseitisnotsuitable(location,airquality,accesstoserviceproviders)MIIC“inherited”thedecisionoftakingAlexanderasatemporaryaccommodation•Managingtheexpectationsoftherefugees;noteveryoneishappywiththepermanentaccommodationsthatarefoundforthem,duetothetimelimitspeopledidnothaveanopportunitytolookathousingoptionsbeforetheyweremoved,thiswasacauseofconcernofmanyrefugeesaswellasthatofthecom-munitygroups•AlthoughtheRentSupplementallowedclientstomovequicklyandintobetterhous-ingtheclientsdonotrealizethelongtermconsequencesofRentSupplement(beyond365days)andthattheymaynotbeabletomaintainthishousingonceitends•Theworkshopparticipantsindicatedthatintheiragenciesnewchallengeshaverisenduetohavingtolay-offhousingandsettlementwork-ers.Theyhadrecruitedstaffandtrainedthemandnowtheyarelaidoff;thisseemsshortsightedinlightofthefactthatmorerefugeeswillbearrivingandwillresultagainintheirlack-ingresourcestodealwiththisnewinflux•LocatingandsecuringsuitablehousinghasbecomemorechallengingnowthataholdthathasbeenplacedontheRentSupplement;ithasincreasedpressureonMIICaswellascausedinequitiesamongarrivingSyriansnottomentionotherrefugees.Therefugeesdon’tunderstandwhysomepeoplehadaccesstobetterhousingthantheydo•ThesituationatAlexanderiscurrentlypos-ingproblemsforsettlementagencies;ononehand,therefugeesdonotwanttomove,thelocationisgraduallyturningintoa‘ghetto’,itdefeatstheprocessofintegratingtherefugeesintotheCanadiansocietyaswellastheirlearningoftheEnglishlanguagesincetheyaretosomeextentexcludedfromsocializingwithmembersofthewidercommunity

Gaps: •Thereisnolongtermhousingplanorstruc-tureinplaceifManitobareceivesanother


influxofrefugees;thiswillresultinlongerwaittimesintemporaryaccommodations

Opportunities:•Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsarewillingtodomoreaccordingtooneoftheworkshopparticipantsandassuch,askthatthesettlementagenciesreachouttothemastheycanhelpwithsomeoftheaccommoda-tionissuesincludinggettingcontactinfor-mation.Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupshavealreadyengagedinpeermen-torship-typerelationshipsthatinvolvehomevisitstocheckonnewarrivals,andprovidingfamily-to-familysupportlinks•Inotherprovincestherehasbeenmoreengagementoftheprivatesectorinprovidinghousing,theworkshopparticipantswouldliketoseethisinManitoba.Althoughthereweresomelandlordswantingtohelptheywerenotwillingtotakealossontheirrents•NeedfortheprovincetocontinuewiththeRentSupplement•Providingpre-arrivalinformationsessionstotherefugeesonwhattoexpectinCanadaandWinnipegspecificallywouldbehugelybeneficial•Publicawarenesswasthekeytomobilizingthecommunity;themomentumneedstocontinue•Wecanbetterutilizetheservicesandassistanceofprivatesponsors;manyareextremelywellorganizedandexperiencedinsettlingrefugees;wecanbetterpartnerwiththemandperhapsthegovernment-assistedrefugeeswouldbenefit.Therecanbebettercoordinationwithotherserviceproviders,faithgroups,etc.•Workshopparticipantscitedtheimportanceofkeepingthegovernmentinterestedandas-sociatedwithresettlementissues.Thisisvitalasitstrengthensthepublic’sinterestaswell,creatinganatmospherewhereresourcescanbepulledfromallsources•Inaddition,theworkshopparticipantsindicatedtheneedtohavebetterplansandspecificstructuresinplace.TheIRCChastobemoreinvolvedandhelpfultodealwithsomeof

theexpectationsandsurprisesthatmayarisewhenrefugeesarebeingsenttoManitoba•InBrandon,alloftheirservicesarelocatedinonelocationandthatiswhereresourceshavebeenputinplace,staffwhospeakArabicaswellasotherforeigndialectshavebeenemployedandhousingarrangementsnegoti-ated,includingaformerrefugeewhohasover800housingunitsandisknowledgeableonthesubsidyprogramwhoisshowinginterestinworkingwiththeiragencytoprovideafford-ablehousingwhentheyreceiverefugees

KEY THEMESKeythemesthatemergedfromtheInitialSet-tlementBreak-OutDiscussions:Clearlinesofcommunicationatalllevelsofcoordinationandamongmultiplestakehold-ersarecriticalandwillcontinuetobegoingforward.Thewidevarietyandrangeofsettle-mentservicesbeingaccessedbynewcomersrequiresongoingcommitmenttosharingbestpracticesandinnovativeapproachestoplan-ningandcollaboration.

DISCUSSION: IMPROVING MANITOBA’S SETTLEMENT AND INTEGRATION SYS-TEM: MANITOBA DASHBOARD AND THE RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE PROVIDER (RAP) EXPERIENCE

ModeratorJohn Biles(IRCC)•Needtolooktogetheratwhatworkedwellandwhatdidn’tanddecidewhateachstake-holdercouldhavedonedifferentlyandtheroleweeachhavetoplayinmakingitworkbetter•Needtoaskourselves,“Whatarethenewcomerneedsandhowdoweadaptour-selves/programstomeetthem?”withinthetimelineneeded•Needtoexaminesharedoutcomesandtheadvantagesofimprovingandscalingstandard-izedtoolssuchastheManitobaDashboardinordertosupporttheworkofserviceproviders•NeedtoengageRAPprovidersandSAHstoensurethedashboardworksfortheirneeds

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duringtheinitialresettlementphaseandoverthelong-termasrefugeestransitionintothebroadersettlementandintegrationsector•Needtohavealltheimplicatedplayersaroundthetablefromthebeginningincludingall3levelsofgovernment,SPOsandethno-culturalcommunitygroups•Needtoorganizeintoaclientdrivensystem-levelmodelfedbyevidenceandnotresistchangebecauseofpre-existingnotions•Whatdoweneedtoknowaboutthear-rivingrefugeepopulationtodothis?Whatisn’tshowinguponthedashboard?SAISIAdevelopedacommonneedsassessmentinconjunctionwithSaskatchewan’s5RAPprovidersinordertopopulatetheirdashboardwithdata•Discussionneededoncommonneedsassess-mentforSAHstohelpSettlementserviceplanning•MANSO’sroleofconvenorofopen,inclu-siveconversationsbetweendiversestake-holderstohelpfuturestrategicdirectionsforresettlementandsettlement•Wherecanweputresourcestomaximizethebestpossibleimpact?Reflectingonotherjurisdictionsandgoodpractice,ittakessome20partnershipsbe-tweenRAPagenciesandinvestedstakeholderstodoeffectiveresettlement;sometimesit’sthepartnerswhonoticegapsthatcanbeflaggedandaddressedcollaboratively.Weneedtogetbetteratpartneringwellattheoutset•IRCCactivelycreatingconnectionsbetweenPSRsandSettlementfundingsotheycanaccessthesystemasearlyaspossible.Chainmigrationmeansmorerefugeessettlinginruralareasinthefuture•WehavetofindaneffectivewaytotrackcommunityconnectionsinManitobaandtheimpactofvolunteerson(re)settlementeffortsAdeckwassharedthatincludedSyrianRefugeeDestinationsinManitoba;thisinfoisintendedtobepublicandavailableontheMANSOwebsiteviaquarterlyupdates•Forthedashboardtohavevaluethesectorneedstoagreeonmetricsandwhoarethebestorganizationstocollectthem.I.e.waitlistheatmapshowsmisalignmentofclientsandservices

andstructuralbarrierstoaccessingservices•94%ofSyrianarrivalshadaccessednonRAPSettlementservicesbyMarch31st2016•Needtodemonstratethroughevaluationthatthethingswethinkarebestpracticesareworking–figureoutafeedbackloop•Requestwasmadetoadda“socialintegra-tionsindicator”sectiontothedashboard(i.e.,associatedwithCommunityConnections).IRCCindicatedintegrationoutcomeswillbeaddedtotheprovincialdashboardsintime•SusanCoughlan(IRCC)canaddnewcat-egoriestothedashboardifrequested•Requestwasalsomadetosee/getacopyofthePre-Arrivalinfothatrefugeesaregivenoverseas;thisseemstohavebeencreatingexpectationsthatSPOswouldliketoknow/bettermanage

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSCoordination & Collaboration•Continuewithexistingcoordinationmechanisms,includingmulti-stakeholdercoordinationtableandMANSOconferencecallsandworkinggroups•Asvolunteer-drivenethnoculturalandfaithcommunitiesmaynotbeabletoattendweek-daycoordinationtablemeetings,IPWandMANSOtocontinueconveningalternativeopportunitiesforinformation-sharing•PrioritizecoordinationaroundemploymentsupportsforrefugeenewcomerswithlowEnglishandFrenchskillsand/orlittleformaleducationandlookatnewmodels•Buildonengagementofdentalpractitionersinrespondingtoincreasedneeds• Prioritizecollaborationonnewmodelsforlanguagelearning,educationandemploymentforolderyouthandyoungadults(approximately19-22yearolds)whohaveinterruptededucation

Provincial Government•AneedtocombineEALandotheredu-cationalupgradeswithentrytothelabourmarket.Thiswillimprovefinancial,familyandhealthoutcomesfornewcomers,reducepub-licbacklashregardingsocialassistanceuptakeandupgradetheManitobanworkforce


•Confirmprovincialsupportsforhousing,in-cludingcontinuingtheprovincialrentsubsidyprogramand/oradjustingthepoliciesaroundRentAssistsothatitoffersbettersupporttorefugeefamilies,aswellascontinuingtomaintaintheprovincialhousinginventory•Pro-activelyengagewithEmploymentandIncomeAssistance,RAPprovidersandothersettlementstakeholderstoplanfor“Month13”andthetransitionofsomefamiliestoEIAsupports•ExplorewaysofexpandingthecapacityatBridgeCareand/orengagingtheirexpertiseinplanningforalternatestrategies.EngagetheRegionalHealthAuthoritiesineducatingphysiciansaboutrefugeehealthneeds

MANSO & Service Providers•CollaboratewithSponsorshipAgreementHolders(SAHs)onmoreresourcesforspon-sorgroupsinManitoba,topossiblyincludea“MadeinManitoba”sponsorguideand/orbulletinboard•WorktogetherondevelopingcommonneedsassessmentandsettlementplanningprocessesforRAPprovidersandotherser-vice-providers,aswellasconveninglearningopportunitiesforserviceproviderstobetterunderstandprivacylegislationandpolicy,inordertofacilitatethereferralprocess•Lookforopportunitiestopartnerwitheth-noculturalandfaithcommunityorganizations,andengagetheminplanning•StrategizeonwaystocommunicateaboutrealandperceivedinequitiesbetweenculturalgroupsonIFH,transportationandotherbenefits•Evaluatenewpilotsandexploreincorporat-ingnewbestpractices

IRCC•Ensurethatpre-arrivalorientationisofferedtoallrefugees,andthattheorientationoffersrealisticexpectationsaboutlifeinCanada(includingfinances,housing,etc.)•Developprotocolsforsharingbetterdataaboutthearrivalsofprivatelysponsoredrefugeeswithprovincialgovernmentsandthe

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settlementsector.BuildonapproachesusedforSyrianrefugeesforallrefugees•AlignRAPprogrammingtoeliminatedispari-tiesbetweengroupsofdifferentnationalities(intransportationloans,eligibilityforIFH).HelpRAPprovidersandsettlementsectordevelopstrate-giesforcommunicatingaroundthesedisparities•EnsurethatsufficientsettlementfundingisprovidedtoRAPagenciestoallowthemtoofferongoingsettlementsupporttoclients•AddsupporttoRAPbudgetsforbuspassesforyouthtoallowthemtoaccesskeysupportprograms•Offermoreeducationtoolstohealthpro-vidersnationallytoencourageprimarycarephysicianstoregisterwithIFH(andincreasenumberofavailablepractitioners)•ExpandIFHcoveragetocoverinterpretationforall10possiblesessionswithpsychologistsandincreasethenumberofsessionsthatcanbepaidforbyIFH•Increasethepre-arrivalmedicalinformationavailabletoRAPproviders,especiallyforthosewithcomplexneedsinordertoallowbetterplanning•ContinuetoworkwithCMASonstreamlin-ingregulationsasmuchaspossibleforCareforNewcomerChildren,whilestillmaintain-ingchildren’ssafety

Funders•Continuesupportingumbrellaorganizationwithcoordinationcapacity•Offersupportforspecializedemploymentprogrammingforlow-benchmarkrefugeeclients•Ensurethatspecializedsupportsforclientswithdisabilitiesareavailable,aswellasspe-cializedmentalhealthservices•Offerfinancialsupportforsupportsofferedbytheethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupswhoplayakeyrole

DAY 2, THURSDAY, JUNE 30TH: SETTLEMENT & INTEGRATION CONSULTATIONPLENARY: SETTLEMENT & INTEGRATION IN MANITOBA: THE PATH FORWARDS

Corinne Prince-St- Amand –Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

•IncreasednumbersofimmigrantsforfirstyearofnewFederalgovernment•Familyreunificationapriority.Namechangeofdepartmenttoincluderefugeesisamarkerformorechangeinthatarea•Reducetimesforspousereunification•PointsforhavingsiblingsinCanada•Returnmaximumageofchilddependentfrom19to22•Expandingrefugeeprogramsandwelcomingmorediverseimmigrantssoastoboostthecountry’seconomicsuccessandsubsequentpopulationgrowth•EffectivestrategiesinunifyingrefugeeswithfamiliesinCanada

Best-practices or success stories:•Innovativeandambitioustargetssetbythegovernment•Effectivepartnership(passion,commitmentandknowledgesharingofpartnersinwel-comingimmigrantsintoManitoba)•Engagement–calltoaction/civilsociety/employersandpublicsupport•Passionandcommitmentofthosewithspecificknowledgeofrefugees•EngagementofotherstakeholdersindecisionmakingandplanningprocessesofresettlementandintegrationofrefugeesintoCanadiansociety

Challenges/gaps:•Language/literacy•Mentalhealthandhealthneeds•Educationandemployment•PrivatesponsorfrustrationretimetakentogetrefugeestoCanada•Lackofeffectivemechanismstoensurelong-termintegrationofimmigrantsintoCanadiansociety•Problemofmaintainingandstrengtheningofpublicsupportandengagementsinthereset-tlementandintegrationprocessofimmigrants•Difficultiesinmeetingtheneedsofhugeanddiverseimmigrantpopulation•Implicationsofpaceofintegratingimmi-grants,consideringtheinflowofhugenumberofimmigrantsinrecenttimes


•Mentalhealth(biggestchallenge)•Youth-familyviolencesupports,supportsforwomenandchildrenforfamilyviolenceandtrauma•AssistSyrianstoadapttoculturalnormsorgendernorms•Theneedtostrengthenthelanguagetrain-ingofimmigrants•Theneedtoassistimmigrantsinsuccessful-lyintegratingintotheCanadianlabourmarketbyovercomingemploymentbarriers.Key=Needtocollectdata•Encouragingpublicsupportandsocialconnections•Theneedtostrengthengeneralandmentalhealthcareservicesofimmigrants•Theneedtoensureclient-basedservices•Involvementofcommunitygroups(commu-nityconnections)•TheneedtoreviewandsubsequentlyapplybestpracticesinbuildingthecapacityofFrancophoneminoritycommunitiestowelcomeandsupportrefugees•Theneedtoencourageprivatesponsorships

The government is successfully moving towards:•Result-orienteddeliveringapproach•Engagementinbothbilateralandmultilat-eralcollaborationswithstakeholders•Engagementandcollaborationswithserviceprovidersandotherfederalgovernments•Callingforproposalsthatwouldincorporatelessonslearnedintoprogrammingpriorities

Other key messages:•Alldecisionsarebasedonevidence–howdowegetevidencetobuildourstoriessowecanshowweareusingeverydollarwellandstillneedmore?IRCCEvaluatorsarecurrentlyinthefield.Pleaseshareyourdatawiththem•iCAREisthemostimportantpieceofthepuzzle.Ifyoudon’thaveyourdatainthere,thenyoucan’tshowyouneedtheresources.IRCCrealizeitisn’tperfectandaretryingtomakeitbetter•TheSettlementenvelopeisstretchedtothelimitbutwewanttodomoretohelp

immigrantssettle.Howdowetellthisstorywhenimmigrationlevelsareincreasing.IRCCconsultingonlevelsthissummer.Importanttoshareyourviews•Tobringmorepeopleinweneedsettle-mentsupportsinplacealready.LearntfromtheSyrianSettlementthatcommunicationiseverything.Wearelivingthenewnormal•MartaMorgen:NewDeputyMinisterforImmigration.ShecamefromFinanceandbeforeHRSDC.PlanstoexpandfurtherandreopendoorstothosewhocancontributetoCanada.ThankedJohnBilesandNitaJollyandtheirteamsfortheirpassion,knowledgeandcommitmenttotheirworkinthePrairieregion

Arequestwasmadeformoreinformationonthe2015CallforProposals•Theywereassessedandtheneverythingwasextended“asis”foroneyearbythenewMinister•ContractsbeingreassessedinthecurrentcontextandIRCCplanstostartnegotiationswithSPOsthisfall•Itwillreturnto3-yearformatfor2017-2020ArequestwasmadetostresstotheTreasuryDepartmenttheimportanceofnetworkssuchastheRIF•HeritageMinisterJolieheadingup25com-munityconsultationsacrossCanadaonthenextOfficialLanguageActionPlaninsummer2016.ImportantforSPOstobeapartofthisconversa-tionaspartofthegovernment’slongtermstrategy

Informationaboutthepossibilityofcitizensbecomingeligibleforsettlementserviceswasrequested.•RCCawareofconcernthatclientsareap-plyingforcitizenshipwithoutknowingtheywouldbecomeineligibleforfederallyfundedservices.•Lengthofeligibilityforsettlementservicesalreadyoneofmostgenerousworldwide.Nocurrentplanstorelookatthispolicy

Requestforinformationoncurrentcrimepre-ventionstrategiesregardingtherecentsurgeinrefugeearrivals:

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•CrimepreventionwithrefugeesanumberonepriorityforthePublicSafetyDepartment.•DeputyMinisterawareonlytakesoneincidenttochangetheCanadianwelcomingmindsetonSyriansovernighttonegative

ConcernwasexpressedaboutthelimitationsoftheIFHP,especiallyinadequatefundingforinterpretingforpsychologistappointmentsandthatinyeartwotheseverelackofafford-ablehousingwillleadtoalotofstress.Mentalhealthissueswillbetriggered/emerge,family,violenceissuesetc.Needtoadvocateforfrontendaccesstoemploymentandlanguagetrainingandmoresupportfornationaltraumaprogramming.Alreadya2-3yearwaitlistforfundedservices,amajorconcernifincreasingthelevelsofrefugeeswithlowlanguagelevels.•InterpretationakeyfocusforIFHprogram-ming.Themessagewillbesenttothemthatlanguagelevelsarekeytoclientsadmittingthereisaproblem

RequestforclarificationonprioritylevelforFederalandProvincialgovernmentsofspecial-izedemploymentprogrammingandresourcesforrefugees(Syrianandother)withlowCLBs.•IRCCrecognizesneedtodedicatemorefundingtolanguage•Recognitionthatallgroupswithlowskillsetsneedtobesupportedtoattachthemselvestothelabourmarket.Manitobagovernmentisworkingontheseissues,suchasmatchingjobskillsandcompetencieswithneedsbysec-torwhichisprovingeffective.IRCCworkingcloselywithEmploymentandSocialDevelop-mentCanada.TheyhaveYouthFundingandIRCCistryingtolinktheSPOstothisfunding

ClarificationrequestedonwhetherProvincialgovernmentwillreinstaterentsupportunitswebsiteasthehousinglistofprovinciallysup-portedhousingwasveryusefulduringSyriansettlementprocess.•CHMCandESDCworkingonanationalhousingstrategytoassessaffordablehousingforallandaddressthelackofhousingacrossthecountry.

Ben Rempel–Immigration and Economic Opportunities, Manitoba Education & Training: Settlement and Integration in Manitoba

•ImmigrationisessentialtotheProvince’seconomicdevelopmentandpopulationgrowth.ThepopulationofManitobahasbeenunprecedentedlyboostedbyimmigrationinthepastyear•In2015Manitoba’spopulationsawarecordhighincrease,primarilyduetoimmigration•TheManitobaProvincialNomineeProgramremainstheProvince’smostsuccessfulandeffectivetoolforincreasingeconomicim-migrationandintegrationintotheCanadianlabourmarket•TherehasbeenconsistentgrowthovertheyearsinManitoba’spopulationandrateofemployment•Manitoba’sfundingcommitmentfornewcomersisintheareasofhealthcare,education,youthservices,employmentandservicecoordinationthatisofbenefittoallimmigrants•IncreasesinImmigrationinManitobahavenotresultedinincreasesinunemployment.Manitobahasthe3rdhighestImmigrantLabourMarketparticipationinCanada

Challenges:•ItisprojectedthatManitobawillreceivedoublethenumberofrefugeesin2016thanitreceivedinthepreviousyear•Theplanningprocesswascomplicatedbytherapidpaceandunexpectedchangesinscenari-os,suchastheunexpectedDecembersurge•Theprofileofrefugeeswasmuchdifferentthanhadbeenprojected,withlargefamiliespresentingchallengestoreceptioncentres,transportation,andhousing•Diverseandmultiplepartnershipsrequiredfortheeffortledtochallengesaroundcom-municationsaswellaseveryoneunderstand-ingtheirandothers’rolesandresponsibilities•Managingpublicinterestandgoodwillwasachallenge-donations,volunteerism,andprivatesponsorship


Promising-practices•Closeandeffectivecollaborationandpart-nerships•Earlyengagementofethno-culturalcom-munitygroups•Usingofalternativetemporaryaccommoda-tionstrategies•Publicsupport

Opportunities/Moving forward:•Increasingpublicawarenessoftheneedsofimmigrants,communityengagementandcapacitybuilding•ThinkingbeyondRAPandimprovingonthelong-termintegrationneedtoattachtolabourmarket•Engagementwithmorelocalrecruiters•Centralizedhousingresponse•Coordinatedmentalhealthactionplanning•CentralizedregistrationfromManitobaStarttoearlyengagementofemployers(forrefugees)•Partnershipstoaddressneeds(bilaterally)•Lookingatstrategicandwell-targetedinterventionstosupportnewcomerswithlowCLBsandothergroupstryingtoattachtothelabourmarketincludingbringingalabourmarketlensintotheclassroom•OpportunityfornewpartnershipsasthesectorrenegotiatescontractswithIRCC•CrosssectionsbetweenFederalsettlementinvestmentsandlanguagetraining/labourmarketinvestments.Employmentcanpreventpeoplegettingthelanguagetrainingtheyneedsoneedstrategicwaystoaccessthelabourmarket•Needtoworktogethertobestrategicandtar-getedfocusingonwheretheneedsarehighest

InformationwasrequestedonthelevelofpriorityfortheProvincemovingforwardtoin-creaseBridgeCare’scapacity,especiallyinthecontextofasecondsurgeinSyrianrefugeearrivals.•BudgetaryprocessjustcompletedandneveranylackofsupportorinterestinhavingBridgeCaredeployedasitwas•Needtomakesureitissufficientlyre-

sourcedtodothework.Notaquestionofitsvalue.Mentalhealthisalong-termissuebutearlyinterventioncan’tbeoverlooked.Some-timessymptomsdon’tshowupfor2-3yearsbutearlyconnectionskey

Abdikheir Ahmed –Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW)

Four strategic priorities set by the organization:1. Creationandenhancementofrelationshipbetweennewcomersandtheindigenouscommunitythrougheffectiveandtimelyorientationprograms.Byputtingmeasuresinplacetomakeindigenouspeoplebepartofwelcomingofnewcomersintotheprovince2.Workingwithserviceprovidersincreatingandexpandingprogressivepoliciestoassisttheneedsofrefugeeseconomically,sociallyandfinancially,includingcredentialrecogni-tionandculturalcompetenciesforemployers3. EnhancementofpublicunderstandingofrefugeevaluesuponarrivalinWinnipeg,byimprovingpublicperceptionsonrefugeesasavulnerablegroupinthecityofWinnipeg4. Increasingactionandmeaningfulparticipa-tionofcivicintegrationofnewcomers.Thus,givingimmigrantstheopportunitytoparticipateincivicandpoliticalprocessesintheProvince

Promising Practices:•850Syrianstowelcomeevent.MinisterMcCallumImpressed•Consultationwithcommunitymembers•Favourablelabourmarketoutcomes•Importantpartnershipswithprivateagencies

Moving forward/Strategies for improving conditions:•EnsuringsuccessfulintegrationofimmigrantsintoCanadiansocietybyworkinghandinhandwithMANSO,themedia,academia,amongotherstosupporttheworkofthecouncil•Engagementoftheindigenouscommunityinresettlementandintegrationprocessesofnewcomers•Workingwithmunicipalitiestoengagewith

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theprocesses•Theneedtoheadtowards“Newcomeryouthengagementstrategy”justasthereisthe“Aboriginalyouthengagementstrategy”

Salwa Meddri –Francophone Immigration Network – Reseau en Immigration franco-phone (RIF)

Promising-practices:•SuccessfulintegrationofFrancophonenew-comersintotheProvinceofManitoba•Identifyinggapsandweaknessesinthepro-cessandstrategicallyfindingwaysinresolv-ingthoseproblems•Effectiveresettlement,integrationandcol-laborationwithpartners•PromotionofnewcomerjobopportunitiestobesuccessfulintheCanadianlabourmarket•UniversityofSaint-Boniface–Offeredimpor-tantSyrianrefugeetemporaryhousingsupport•RuralareainitiativewithCEDEM,RIF,Accueil,promotedjobsandservices–i.e.withintheFrancophoneschooldivision•PluriellesgavegiftstoSyrianwomenandgirls.AttendedFestivalManipogo•RIFandWelcomePlaceworkingtogether Opportunities/Moving forward:•Involvementofnewcomerssocially,eco-nomicallyandculturallytoenablethemtoovercomesomeofthebarrierstheyencounterinintegratingintoCanadiansociety•SurveyonservicesinFrenchforFrancophonenewcomerstobuildonstrengthandexpertiseofpartnerships.Currentlyanalysingresults•FostergrowthandintegrationofFranco-phoneimmigrants•Fosterempathy–forserviceproviderstodevelopconnectionswithnewcomers•Raceawareness–engagemorestakehold-ersandidentifypriorityforcommunityandpartnerships•Worktogetherforstrongercommunity–inclusionaquestionofspace

Bram Strain –Provincial Deputy Minister Education and Training: Comments•Thereisaneedforanallgovernmentresponse.TheProvincialdepartmentsofEdu-cation,TrainingandImmigrationarealreadyworkingtogetherunderonedepartment.LotsofotherdepartmentsandlevelsareworkingtogetherontheseissuesincludingJusticeandHealthetc.TheProvincecan’tdoitalone,needstheFederalGovernmentandMunicipalGovernment.Increasedloadonmentalhealthwhenalreadystretchedwillleadtoapub-licresponse.Immigrantyouthissuesintheschoolsystemwillleadtoapublicresponse•LanguageatWork:NeedtocombinetheabilitytoprovideandtolearnbyofferinginnovativeoptionslikeEnglishatWork•Needtobreakdownsomeofthetraditionalmodelsandsomeofthefundingmodelstoallowoptionsformeetingclientneeds•Movetosolutions:Notalwaysaboutmoney.Thebudgetisnowsetbutwecanchoosehowtoinvestwhatwehave•Wehavetrainingsupports,labourmarkettraininganddevelopmentmoneyfromtheFederalGovernment.Theprivatesectorwanttobeinvolvedandhowdoweleveragethat?Manywaystodoit,needtobeinnovative.It’sthesystemthatisbroken,don’tneedtoteachpeoplehowtonavigatethesystem,fixthesystem.That’swhereweneedyourhelp.That’swhereweneedtogo

PLENARY: SETTLEMENT & INTEGRATION: EVIDENCE TO GUIDE ACTION

Dr Rachael Pettigrew –Rural Development Institute: Immigration Settlement Services in Six Rural Manitoba Communities: An Inven-tory And Opportunity Assessment With A Focus On Refugees

Purpose and focus of the project:•FocusingonrefugeesinruralcommunitiestosuccessfullyresettleandintegrateintotheCanadiansociety•TheprojectisfundedbyIRCCthroughMANSO


•AdvisorypaneloftheprojectincludeImmigrationResearchWest,IRCC,MANSO,andtheprovincialgovernmentofManitoba

Key findings:•ActivestrategiesandplanstobringmorerefugeesintotheProvincebytheendof2016•Provisionofgoodservicestoclients•5ruralManitobacommunities–criteria–receiveorplanningtoreceivenewcom-ers–Winnipegand2015studycommunitiesexcluded•UsedDauphin,PortageLaPrairie,Stein-bach/Kleefeld,Morden,Winkler•Methods–telephoneinterviews•OpportunitiesforDevelopment–Languageinterpretation(forservices–initialstages)

Challenges:•Nopublictransport.Volunteernetworksorganizingtotransportrefugees•Limitedmentalhealthservicesandchildcare(drivetoWinnipegforhealthproblemsandlongwaitlist)•Service/labourjobs–foreigncredentialrecognition•Problemwithexpansionofcurrentservicestomeetthediverseneedsofrefugeesintheprovince•Gapsinculturalunderstanding•Clarificationneededfortimingofrefugeearrivals•ReportsofPTSDanddomesticabusearenowcomingin

Strengths of community settlement:•Theinvolvementofreligiousorganizationssuchaschurches•Significantandcrucialroleofcommunitypartnerships,schools,publicsupportandstrongvolunteernetworks•School–somewell-versedinworkingwithimmigrants•Developmentofdatabasestomanageandorganize•Gapsinculturalunderstanding(bi-directional)

Moving forward/Opportunities for development:•Effectivedevelopmentofcommitteestoorganizeandmanagesponsorshipactivities•TheneedtoprioritizelanguageandliteracyskillstrainingbeforelinkingnewcomerstotheCanadianlabourmarket•Theurgentneedforlocalgovernmentinvolvement

Furtherinformationrequestedonthereleasedateofthereport•WillbesenttoadvisorycommitteeforfinalcommentsandwillthenbeavailableonMANSOwebsite

Requestforfurtherdetailsonmentalhealthservicesrequiredbypeopleinruralarea•Preliminaryfindingswerelookingatdistanceandavailability•Oneissueemergingincludedsomedomes-ticrelationshipissues.Counsellorsdon’thaveenoughawarenessandknowledgeofthenewcomers’culturalbackgroundsleadingtoclientfrustration•SomepeopledrivinglongdistancesintoWinnipeg.Normalresourceissuesmagnifiedinruralareas

Mamadou Ka – University of Saint-Boniface/Immigration Research West: Ten Years of Francophone Settlement Services In West-ern Canada And Territories: Realities And Perspectives

Project objective:ToassesssettlementservicesutilizationofnewcomersinWesternCanadaandterritoriesoverthelast10years

Project focus:•ThechallengeswithintegrationofFranco-phonenewcomersintotheirnewcommuni-ties•ThestrategiesdevelopedtofacilitateFran-cophonenewcomers’integrationintotheirnewcommunities

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Key findings:•EnglishorFrenchlanguageability:Franco-phonenewcomersinManitobascoredlowestinCanadainFrenchlanguageabilitytests.EnglishandFrenchabilityareincreasinginBCbutloweringinMB•FrancophonenewcomersarewellintegratedinManitoba•FrancophonenewcomersfeelhappyintheirrecentplacesofresettlementinManitoba•FrancophonenewcomersinManitobautilizesettlementserviceseffectivelycomparedtootherprovinces.TheFrancophonesettlementservicesprovidersinManitobaaredoingverywellcomparedtootherprovinces,duetoef-fectivecollaborationandpartnerships•MoreeducatedFrancophonenewcomerstendnottousetheFrancophonesettlementservices,duetothefrequentuseofotherser-vicessuchastheinternetandotherrelevantsourceofserviceutilizationandopportuni-ties.Alsopre-arrivalprogramsworkverywellforeducatednewcomerscomparedtotheiruneducatedcounterparts•NeedlargerFrancophonecommunities•RefugeeclassmostlikelytoaccessEnglish/Frenchproviders

Clarificationrequestedonwhetherthesurveyparticipantswhoclaimedtheydidn’tneedservicessaidthisbecausetheyhadalreadyaccessedpre-arrivalservices?•Pre-arrivaljustapresumption,butpeoplegavemanyanswers,somesaidtheydidn’tneedit,somesaidtheydidn’thaveenoughinformation.Mostlypeoplewithhigherlevelofeducation•Itwasanopen-endedquestion–manyhundredsofanswerscoded.Smallpercentagementionedpre-arrivalservices.Mostdidn’thavetheinformationorcouldfindthatsup-portelsewhere•ManyrespondentsfromFrance,mightbeaccessingAllianceFrançaisorfelttheydidn’tneedtheservicesas“ex-patriots”notimmi-grants.InManitoba,theFrenchfromFrancenothighpercentageoftotal.Congo,Cam-eroonthetopcountriesoforigin

•AccueilfrancophoneandSFM(Sociétéfranco-manitobaine)workcloselytogetherwhichmayresultinhighertake-upofservicesDr Lori Wilkinson –Immigration Research West: A Demonstration of Immigration Trend Data in Canada’s WestProject purpose:•TodevelopGISplatformcontainingusabledataforWesternprovinces•Toprovideeasyaccesstoonlinedatathatanyorganizationorpersonneedsfortheirpurposes,suchasknowingnumberofnew-comersinaparticularareaintheprovinceorinthecountryinordertostrategizehowtoreachthemwithessentialservicesNewcomers’demographiccategoriestobecapturedonthewebsiteforexplorationpurposes:•Language/literacyskills•Employment•Education•AgeandGender•Immigrant’sentranceclass•Ethnicityofimmigrant•Countryoforigin•Communitydestination

Moving forward/future expansion of project•Toexploretheadditionoffurthervariablesandyearspendingneeds,aswellasdataavailability•Mapsarelocatedathttp://gistest.usask.ca/irw/

John Biles –IRCC: Towards A Settlement Dashboard for Manitoba•BasedontheSyrianDashboardbutforallSettlementServices•Ausefultoolofputtingtogetherinformationinthenewcomerresettlementandintegrationsystem•Keydemographicfeaturescaptured:ageofimmigrant,Gender•Futurenewcomercharacteristicstobeexploredandadded:countryoforigin,amongotherusefulfeatures•Willonlyaskfordatathattheywilluse(likeiCARE)


•SPOsviaMANSOtoprovidedatatoIRCCthendashboardwillbeavailabletothesector•Heatmapswillbedevelopedfordifferentserviceusageandnonusage.Dataneeded•Objectiveforeachprogramhasaslideonthedashboardforeachservicefilledwithdata,allowingforacollectiveunderstand-ingofthesystem,theserviceusageandtheservicenonusage,notonlyinWinnipegbutacrosstheProvince•IRCCknowstherealitiesandthepressuresaredifferentinsmallercommunitiesandwewantthattobeapartoftheconversation•Here’sasnapshotintime.Wherearethepressures?Mosteffectivepartnerships?In-cludingfrancophonecommunitieswhichareanimportantpartofthis•Dashboardatooltogiveuscollectivelyalltheinformationwecanuseinourday-to-dayplanning.Soweareusingthesameinforma-tion.Takeanecdotesoutoftheconversation.Ifitisasystemic,generalizedproblemweneedtofindasolution

Promising Practices:•Havestartedwithmonitoringquarterlywaitlistforlanguageclasses•IRCCclearthatuntilwaitlistsforCLB4andunderclientsaredowntounder1month,therewillbenomoreinvestinginCLB4andabove.Targetisamonthforaspaceinaclassfromassessmenttospaceoffered•Dashboardshowswherearelongwaittimes,wherearethepressures.Wecanhaveameaningfulconversationaboutthelanguagesystemandmaketheinvestmentsandadap-tationsthatweneedto

RequestforclarificationofdataelementsIRCChopingtocaptureinhealthcareandmentalhealth•Saskatchewanhasastandardneedstem-plateforRAPprovidersin5communitiesacrosstheprovince.Intakeinterviewatthefrontendandthenmoredatacollectedduringtransitiontopermanenthousingandsettle-mentproviders;clientprivacyiskey•IRCCwillworkasacoalitiontoagreeona

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collectionstrategyifitisalreadybeingcol-lectedinthehealthsystem•IRCCworkingwithsectortodevelopusefulmetricsforthedashboard•IRCCwanttouseexistingdatawhereverpossible,andonlycollectnewdataifabso-lutelyessential•Everyonebenefitsfromhavinganaccuratesnapshotofclientneedsandcurrentsystemcapacitytomeetthoseneeds

KEY THEMESKey themes that emerged from the Day 2 Plenaries Communicationandcollaborationarekey,asisevidencetosupportfundingrequestsespe-ciallydatarecordediniCARE.Resourcesarelimitedandwillbeallocatedaccordingtoproofofneed.Healthandmentalhealthcameupinseveralpresentations,especiallytheneedforinterpretationviaIFH.Innovativeandcol-laborativesolutionstoemploymentprogram-mingsupportsforclientswithlowlevelsoflanguagewerediscussed.Provincialinvolve-mentinhousingissuesiscritical,includingacentralhousingregistryandevaluationoftheRentAssistprogram.Youthwerehighlightedasapopulationfacingadditionalbarrierstointegration,aswastheminorityfrancophoneimmigrantpopulation,especiallywhenjoiningthelabourmarket.Engagingpublicandprivatesupportinnewcomerintegrationsstrategieswasconsideredkey.Theneedforcleardataaboutsettlementacrosstheprovincewashighlightedasweretheadditionalbarriersforthosesettlinginruralareastoaccessinglanguageandhealthsupports.

PRESENTATION: HELPING IMMIGRANTS SUCCEEDJohn Biles –IRCC and Liz Robinson – Manitoba Education & TrainingHelpingImmigrantsSucceed(H.I.S)isaFederal-Provincial-Territorial(FPT)ActionPlandevelopedfromthePan-CanadianSettle-mentOutcomessurvey.In2012,over20,000immigrantswereaskedabouttheirexperi-enceaboutsettlinginCanada.Resultsfrom

thissurveyrevealedthatsocialconnections,officiallanguageuse,andemploymentfitandFQRarekeydriversforsettlementandinte-gration,andthatimprovementsintheseareaswillimprovesettlementoutcomes.•UltimateOutcome:ImmigrantsunderstandlifeinCanadaandexperienceinclusion,asenseofbelonging,andlifesatisfaction,havingfullyrealizedthesocialandeconomicbenefitsofimmigratingtoCanada.CanadiansembraceimmigrantsandtheircontributionstobuildingcommunitiesandaprosperousCanada.ThroughH.I.S,FPTgovernmentswillsup-portimmigrantsinachievingtheultimateoutcomethroughstrongerpartnershipinthefollowingareas:•OnSocialConnections,theplanendeavorstostrengthenthesocialnetworksofnewcom-ersandfosterwelcomingcommunities•OnOfficialLanguages,effortswillfocusonstrengtheningcollaborativeeffortstofacilitateawarenessof,andaccesstolanguagelearningopportunitiesbynewcomersoutsideof,andnotimmediatelydestinedfor,thelabourforce•OnEmploymentFit/FQR,effortswillseektostrengthenemployerengagementtofacilitatenewcomers’labourmarketintegration.Theplanwillalsoseektoimproveimmigrants’awarenessandusageofservicesforemploy-mentandforeignqualificationrecognition,bothpre-arrivalandinCanada.ThisworkwillbecloselycoordinatedwiththeFPTFQRWorkingGroup

TheF.P.TSettlementWorkingGrouparecarry-ingouttheworkthroughthefollowingphases• Phase 1 (MarchtoMay2016)gatheringinformationfromFPTgovernmentsandpubli-callyavailablesourcestoundertakeanalysis• Phase 2isacomprehensiveanalysisofdatagatheredanddraftreports•Phase 3istodevelopreportandrecom-mendationstoimplementnewinitiativesthatreplicatebestpractices,respondtogapsandeliminateareasofduplication


ThroughMANSO,IRCCissharingthethreescanswiththeSettlementsector,andaskingforanyfeedbackongaps.MANSOwillthenconveneaworkinggroupineachofthethreestreamstocomeupwiththeoutcomesthatcanbemeasuredintheH.I.SStrategytodem-onstratesuccess.Intergovernmentalengagementisanimpor-tantframeinsupportingsettlementofnew-comers.Thereisaneedforcontinuallyengag-ingvariousgovernmentsectors,academicinstitutions,andserviceprovidersandtoensuremorestructuredcoordination,stretchingofresourcesandtheavoidanceofduplication.

WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONSLanguage1. What are the core services your organiza-tion offers in this area (language)?•Full-timeandpart-timelanguagetrainingincluding:

–LINCprograms(Literacy–CLB8)–Literacyprograms(somefornewcomersonly;somethatsupportCanadian-bornandnewcomers)–CareforNewcomerChildren(CNC)tosupportLINCprograms–Skill-basedlanguagetraining;EnglishforProfessionalPurposes;EnglishforAcademicPurposes–Summerprograms,includingsummerliteracy–EnglishatWorkprograms(costssharedbytheemployer)–Frenchlanguagetraining

•Languageassessmentandreferral•Informallanguagetraining(conversationcircles)•Additionalsupports

–Employmentcounsellingandtraining–Adulteducation–Academiccounselling–Computertraining–Counselling

2. How has the refugee response impacted your programming needs? How have you responded?•ForStage1providers,especiallythosewhoofferliteracyprograms,therehasbeenaverysignificantimpact.Eg:WinnipegSchoolDivisionaddedsixclasses;YMCA-YWCAofWinnipegaddedanadditionalsite;Mosaicwasalsoabletoexpand•BecauseofthespeedoftheSyrianinitia-tive,thesocial(settlement)issuesfellontheshouldersoftheschooltoresolve.Theschoolhasrespondedbyaddingsupportsincludingafoodbankforstudents•Someprogramshavebeenabletoaccom-modateallstudentsontheirwaitlists•Identifiedneedformorespaceswithchildcare.Programsareworkingonsolutions.SomeidentifyaconcernthatwhentheRAPperiodends,thearrangementsthatmanyfamiliescurrentlyhave(motherandfathersplitchildcareandlanguagelearning)mightbecomeunworkable,resultinginincreasedwaitlistsforlanguagelearningspaceswithCNCsupport•Programshaveneededadditionalfundsforinterpretation,additionalassessors•Someprogramshavedevelopedspecializedprogramming,forexampleasummerprogram(UofM),computerclasses(UofW),apilot“Mom&Baby”class(MITT)•Otherprogramsstruggledwiththeuncer-taintyofwhetheraddingnewprogrammingwouldbesustainable•ProgramsoutsideofWinnipegareadapt-ingtomeettheneedsofbothadultsandchildren/youth.TheynotethathiringArabic-speakingsupportstaffischallenging

3.What are other emerging issues? How are you responding?•Perceptionfromnon-Syriansstudents,thatSyriansweregivenpreferentialtreatmentandthatthey“jumpedthequeue”•Concernfromserviceprovidersthatthefo-cusonfundingoflowerlevelsmaytakeawayfromtheneedsofthehigherlevels–longtermeffectonclients

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•Supportsneededsoclientscancontinuetoattendlanguageclasses.Manyleaveclassestowork(need$,familyissues,jobs).“Tradeoff”betweenhusbandsandwives,needforchildcare,etc.Serviceprovidersnotethatsomelosemomentumaftertheygetasur-vivaljob,anddon’tprogressfurther•BecomingaCanadianCitizenisstillabarriertocontinuingtotakeclasses•Intakeofrefugeeshappenedsoquickly.ProvincecreatedsuitesatAlexander–noshopping,notappropriatebuilding,social-culturalconcerns,andbuildinghasturnedintolong-termhousingfor46families.IntegratingSyrianshasbeenachallenge.Alsoconcretehadneverbeensealedandcancauserespira-toryissues.Thosewithpre-existingrespira-tory[issues]havebeenaffected•MentalHealth–we’redealingwithmentalhealthandunmetneedsofpreviouslyarrivedrefugeesandnewcomersandisnowfurthercompoundedbytheinfluxofSyrians.Situ-ationsandincidentsarecomplexandseri-oustotheextentthatoneserviceproviderbroughtinpsychologiststoworkwiththestaffwhoweretraumatizedbytheevents•Mentalhealthissuesarisewhenpeoplebegintoslowdowninlanguagetraining–it’stiring!•PBLAandallthedemandsthatgowiththis;additionalsupporttimeisneededtosupportPBLAbutfundinghasbeendeclined.ThereisaneedforPDtoaddresstheneedsofstudents,howeverPDhadtofocusonPBLA.Part-timeprogramsarealsostrugglingwiththe250hrs/level,andareconcernedathowmuchtimemustbedevotedtoassessment•Programsforemployment-readynewcom-ersareinterestedinmeasuringlabourmarketoutcomesofstudents,butneedsupport•WhenprogramsmustaligntheirCLB5-8curriculumwithlabourmarketoutcomes–notalwaysappropriate•Ongoingconcernsoverdifficultiesincre-dentialrecognitioncauseimmigrantstore-doqualifications•DevelopedBrandonServiceProviderGrouptoworktogethertobetterserveallclients•Althoughchildcareisanidentifiedneedfor

Syrians,itisalsothecasefornewcomersfromotherbackground.IncreasedCNCprogram-mingisneededtoallowmothersinparticulartoattendclass•NewcomerchildrenandCanadiancitizenchildrenmustbesegregatedduetobureau-cratic/financialreasons=counterproductive•Frenchprogrammingaswegoalong.AreweactuallyofferingEnglish&Frenchlanguagetraining?CanwecapturenumbersofpeoplewantingFrench?•Classesmayneedmoreinstructionalhours/week(aswellasmorenumbersofclasses)•ManynewcomersaresettlinginnewpartsofWinnipeg,includingtheValleyGardensandHendersonHighwayarea

LABOUR MARKET1. What core services does your organization offer in this area?Serviceprovidersidentifiedprogramsinthefollowingkeyareas:•Jobmatchingprograms•Jobsearchskillsandsupports•Youthemploymentprograms•Skillstraining&employmentreadiness•Mentorship•Employmentreadinessprograms,includingworkshops•Skillstrainingprograms(eg:sewing)•Foreigncredentialrecognitionsupports•Mentorshipprograms•Careerandacademicplanning/counselling•Employmentsupportsforfrancophonenewcomers

2. How has the refugee response impacted your programming needs? How have you responded?TheserviceprovidersrespondedthatthusfartherehasbeenlimitedimpactonemploymentservicesduetotheSyrianrefugeeresponse;thediscussionthatarosewasbasedonwork-ingwithotherimmigrantsandrefugeesinemploymentprogramming.•ThemajorityoftheSyriansarenotemploy-mentreadyduetolanguagelevels


•InworkingwiththeSyrianrefugeestherehasbeenanincreaseindemandforcomputerclassesrunbyvolunteers•Oneserviceproviderhasdevelopedamen-torshipprogramforSyrians;thereareinter-pretersworkingwiththerefugeesalongwithmentorsthatarerelatedtotheSyriansformeroccupation•Clientsrequireassistanceinbuildingbasicskills,computerskills,andtheserviceprovid-ershavebegunadvocatingwithemployers•Workingwithemployerstoeducateabouttheneedsandissuesofrefugeesandadvocat-ingforworkforlowerCLB’s•VolunteersaresteppingforwardtohelpsettletheSyrianfamilies,manyformerimmigrantsandrefugeesthemselves,theirsuccessstoriesactasmotivationforthenewcomerswhichisveryimportantduringtheinitialsettlement

3. What are other emerging issues? How are you responding?•ApplyingonlineisdifficultforthosewithlowerCLBs,limitedcomputerskills,etc.Whenpeoplearehelpedtofilloutonlineapplicationsandarethencalledforaninterviewtheyareoftennotabletoprovidetheinformationthatwasincludedintheapplicationprocess•Thedownturnintheoilpatchishavinganimpactonfindingnewcomersemploymentinboththeruralareasandurbancentres;inparticularserviceindustrypositionshavebeenimpacted•CompaniesarelookingforpeoplewithCLBsof6toworkinretailwhereasinthepastthesepositionswerefilledbythosewithlowerlanguagelevels•Mentalhealthconcernsareanemergingissue.Oneserviceproviderisworkingwiththeschoolstohavechildrenaccesscounse-lorandthentalktotheirparentsratherthanapproachingtheparents.Thisapproachhasproventobeverysuccessful•Inordertointegratewomenwithinthela-bourmarket,childcarefortheworkingwomenisofutmostimportanceandtheorganizationsshouldprovidesupporttowomenandtheirchildreninthebestwaypossible

•ThereneedstobeaconnectionbetweenSPOsandemployersthathaveaskillsshort-ageinordertobetterconnectnewcomerstoemploymentthatmatchestheirskills•Meatpackagingindustryjobs,whichareavailabletotherefugees,maybephysicallydemandingandunhealthyandposesdifferentkindsofchallengestothisvulnerablegroupofnewcomers.Muslimscannotworkinjobsthatareagainsttheirreligiousbeliefs.Example,theporkindustry•Thereisalackofemploymentplacementprogramsforthoseindividualsover30yearsofage;employmentplacementscanbeverybeneficialinopeningthedoortoemploymentformanynewcomers.WorkersCompensa-tionBoardcoverageforvolunteersisvitaltoprogramsthatplaceindividualsinworkplacements•Culturaladaptationprogramsarenecessaryforbetterintegrationwithinthelabourmarketasthe“social”factorshelpinbetterassimila-tion.Socialintegrationwithintheworkspacehelpsindealingwithotheroutsidesocialissuesaswell

4. How do we know if we are succeeding? What information can we capture?•Positiveemploymentoutcomenumberscanbetrackedbyserviceproviders;aspectstobeconsideredindeterminingpositiveoutcomesare:employmentacquisition,employmentthatmatchesskillset,maintenanceofemploy-ment,successfulintegrationintheworkplace•Relationshipsshouldbebuiltbetweenser-viceprovidersandemployersinordertoassistnewcomerswithsuccessfulintegrationwithintheworkplace,tohelptroubleshoot,etc.•Serviceprovidersfeltitisimportanttoconsiderbuildingself-esteem,morale,andtheclient’sfeelingsofhopewhenlookingatsuc-cessfuloutcomes•TherewasadiscussiononiCARE’sabilitytocaptureanecdotalinformation/successes.Itwassuggestedthattherebeanadjust-menttoreflectmorethanjustemployedorunemployedinthedata.ItwassuggestedthatitbeconsideredtomeasureNOCcodes

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priortocomingtoCanadavs.afterbecom-ingemployedinCanada;thiswouldprovideinformationonwhetheranindividualwasunderemployed.ItwasalsosuggestedthatiCAREcapturespecificemployers;thiswouldbebeneficialindeterminingwhereclientsarefindingemployment•Serviceprovidersoftenworkwithclientsondetermininglongtermcareerplans,itisdif-ficulttomeasuresuccessiniCAREduetothefactthatitdoesn’tcaptureifitistemporaryemploymentasasteptolongtermcareergoals,nordoesitcapturewhetherornotaclientachievestheirdesiredoccupation•Potentialareasofmeasurementthatwerediscussedwere:1)pre-employmentstage,2)employmentreadystage,3)employedwithsubcategoriesofa)underemployed,b)shorttermortemporaryemployment,c)interme-diaryemployment,d)desiredoccupation,e)maintenanceofemployment,f)workingonordevelopingcareergoalsthrougheducation.Inadditiontothesecategoriesofemploy-menttrackingthenumberofinterventionsaserviceproviderhaswithaclientwillbehelpfulinmeasuringwhereaclientisonthecareerpathcontinuum•Differentfundersofpresentserviceproviderscaptureemploymentmeasurementoutcomesthrough30day,60dayand90dayfollowupsinadditiontowageandNOCcodes•Differentlevelsofgovernmentaswellasde-partmentswithinagovernmentneedtoworktogetherwithserviceproviderstowardsbetterintegrationofnewcomersinthelabourmarket•Qualificationrecognitionisaveryimportantaspectoflabourmarketintegration.Workingwithnewcomerscanbeatimeconsumingprocessduetothefactthatmanyfactorshaveanimpactontheirengagementinlongtermcareerplanning.Medicaldoctorsinparticularfinditextremelydifficulttowriteexamsgiventheinnumerablechallengeswithsettlinginanewcountry•MoreEnglishatWorkprogramsshouldbeexploredasatoolformovingpeopletowork-placeintegration,careerplanning,employmentmaintenance,employmentenhancement

•Postsecondaryinstitutionsmustprovidedifferentjobtrainingprograms,vocationaltrainingcoursesetc.forthestudentstohaveabetterknowledgeabouttheexistinglabourmarketrequirements•Eachoftheserviceproviderscanhelponeanotherbysharingtheirmethodsandpack-agesusedforhelpingnewcomersaswellassharetheirevaluationreports.Bysharingre-sourcesandnothavingtorecreateprogramsallorganizationsaswellasfunderswouldsavetimeandmoney

SOCIAL CONNECTIONS1. What are the core services your organiza-tion offers in this area (social connections)?Participantsinthisworkshopidentifiedawiderangeofserviceofferingsthatcontributetosocialconnectionsoutcomes,including:•Helpingnewcomerswithlanguageabilitiesandculturalcompetency•Youthprogramming,includingorientation,mentorship,schoolsupports,employmentandcrimepreventionprogramming•Settlementprogrammingthataimstobuildanetworkofsupportsincludinginformationandorientation,referrals,systemsnavigation•Programmingthatsupportscommunitybuildingandpositivementalhealth,includinggroups(women’sgroups,men’sgroups,gar-dening,sewingcircles),aswellasmoreformalmentalhealthinterventionsincludingtherapy•DedicatedtotrainingstaffofmainstreamorganizationstoempowernewcomerstoovercomebarriersintheirintegrationintotheCanadiansociety•Programsthatbuildconnectionsamonggroupsandinstitutionsattheneighbourhoodorcommunitylevelinordertofosterwelcom-ingcommunities(integrationfocusedpro-grams)(LIPs,neighbourhood-basedprogram-mingwithnewcomerandindigenousgroups)

2. What impact has the refugee response had on your programming needs? How have you responded?•Manyprogramsindicatedthattheyhaveseenadramaticincreaseindemandfortheir


services,inparticulartheneighbourhoodpro-grams.Somewereabletoexpandwithnewlocationsandstaff,whileothershavebeenstrugglingtomeetincreaseddemandwithexistingresources.Thereareespeciallychal-lengingdemandsonNeighbourhoodImmi-grantSettlementWorkers(NISWs)incentralareas,aswellasincreaseddemandsonstaffofESLclassestomeetsettlementneeds•Increaseduseofvolunteers•Someprogramswerealsoabletoadapttotheneedsoftheparticipantsbyaddingchild-care,offeringArabiclanguageprograms,andofferingmoreindividualizedorone-on-oneinterventions.TwoexamplesamongmanyarethatFamilyDynamicsredefinedtheirsupportworkerroleandhaveaddedmorehomevisits,andMosaicNewcomerFamilyResourceNetworkbeganofferingArabiclanguageparentingprogramsandworkshopsbasedonimmediateidentifiedneedslike‘safetyinthehome’.Othersnotedthattheyneededtomakesimilaradaptationstotheirprogram-mingtomeetclientneeds,butdidn’thavesufficientresourcesforcurriculumadaptationandinterpretation•Manyprogramsindicatethattheirneedforaccesstotrainedinterpretersincreaseddramat-ically,andthatalthoughtheyhaveusedmitiga-tionstrategiesincludingtrainedvolunteers,theyneedincreasedfundingforinterpretation•Severalprograms(bothinsideandoutsidethecity)indicatedthattheyhaveneededtore-prioritizeresourceallocationswithintheirprograms,sometimesresultinginreducedprogramofferingsforotherclients,astheneedsoftheSyriansweremoreurgent,buttheydidnothaveanincreaseincapacity•Therefugeeresponsehasincreasedattentiononaddressingthehealthconcernsofnewcomers•Therehasbeenincreasedcollaborationbetweenhealthserviceprovidersandthesettlement&integrationsectoronthetopicofmentalhealth.Thehealthsectorhasrec-ognizedsomeneedsforincreasedculturalcompetency,andhasdevelopedactionplanstorespond.Thesettlementsectorseesgreat

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valueinthiswork,buthasalsofoundtheengagementtimeconsuming•Ethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupsreportedthattheyhaddevelopednewpro-grammingtofillexistinggaps,includinghiringstaff,planningwelcomeevents•Programsalsocitenewpartnerships,includ-ingthosebetweenethnoculturalandfaithcommunityorganizationsandsettlementorganizations,andpartnershipswithsponsor-shipgroups

3. What are other emerging issues? How are you responding?Theserviceprovidersandcommunitymem-berspresentdiscussedtheongoingchalleng-esforSyrianandotherrefugeepopulations,including:•Socialisolation,especiallyforwomenwithmanyyoungchildren.ItwasnotedthatmanyservicesarecentralizeddowntowninWinnipeg,makingaccessdifficult•Ongoingchallengeswithpermanentaccom-modations(especiallythosecentralizedonAlexanderStreet)whichcontributetostressandsocialisolation•Lackofappropriateemploymentopportuni-tiesforadults,contributingtosocialisolationandstress•Aneedformoreparentingprogramming,andprogrammingforparents(especiallywomen)withinfantsandpre-schoolers,orprogramswithchildminding•Aneedforculturallyappropriatefamilyviolenceprogramming•Transportationproblems(foraccessingservices,employment),whichareespe-ciallysevereoutsideofthecitywherepublictransportationislimited.TherewasalsoastrongrecommendationthatIRCCsupportpublictransitpassesforchildrenandyouthaspartoftheRAP,inordertoallowchildrenandyouthtoaccesscriticalsocialsupports•General,childandmentalhealthissues(highdemandonmentalhealthsupportsfornewcomers).Someprogramshaverespondedbyconsultingtheadvisorycounciltoaidhealthcaresystemvoicesinschools,municipalities

onhowtobuildbetterintegratingsociety•Alackoffinancialsupportforethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups,despitetheirenormousroleintheintegrationprocess•ThecriticalneedtobothrespondtotheneedsoftheSyrianrefugeefamilies,andnottosegregatetheminprogrammingapartfromothernewcomers(orotherCanadians).FunderscansupportthisbyensuringthatadditionalsupportsforSyrianfamiliesaretiedtoexistingprograms,orofferflexibilityforparticipationbynewcomersfrommanyculturalbackgrounds•Fundingcutsinruralareasorcommunitieswithlargenumberofnewcomersmakemain-tainingserviceofferingsdifficult•OngoingchallengeswithadministrativeburdenofiCARE•Anongoingneedtoconnectwithindig-enouscommunitiesandengageduringtheintegrationprocess•OngoingchallengesforFrancophone/French-speakingnewcomersinnavigatingadditionalbarriersinlabourmarketaccess

4. How do we know if we are succeeding? What information can we capture?Participantsinthisgroupacknowledgedthatthisisadifficultchallenge,andthatoftentheindividualstoriesofclientsarethemosteffective•Wecanknowifwearesucceedingbymeasur-ingclients’happinessorhowsatisfiedtheyare•Thenumberofparticipantsattendingsomekindsofnewcomerprograms;thenumberofreferralstovariousservices;numberofcon-nectionsintheneighbourhood•Thelevelofconnectionsnewcomershavetosocialservices•Thelevelofcapacityofthefamilytofunc-tionwithoutserviceprovidersupport(cantheydosomethingontheirownthattheypre-viouslyneededsupporttodo).Someagenciesdiscussedthatsometimesapositivemeasureofintegrationcanbethataclienthasmovedonfromneedingsupportfromfundedserviceproviders,whichcanattimesmakethesuc-cessdifficulttodocument


•Narrativereportsfromsettlementworkersbasedonfollow-upswithfamilies•Hostfamilymatchingsystem–participantevaluations•Publicresponse,includingevaluationofpublicperceptionofnewcomersand/ormeasuringofthelevelofawarenessofimmigrantintegration•Third-partyevaluationofnewcomerprograms•Evaluationreportsatschools(i.e.evaluationororientationprogramsatschools)•Measuresofpartnerships,includingtheextentofcollaborationwiththeethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroups

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSLanguage•Mentalhealthissuesareaffectinglanguagetraining.Wraparoundcareforclientsandstaffmustbeprovidedtoensurebestlanguageoutcomes•IncreaseCareforNewcomerChildren(CNC)programmingandinvestigatein-novativealternativesformothersforwhomchildcareisabarrier•Expandingbestpracticeoflinkinglanguagetrainingwithparentingprogramming•Increasingoptionsforcontinuinglanguagetrainingwhileworking

Social Connections•Increasefinancialsupportandinvolvementofethnoculturalandfaithcommunitygroupstoenablethemtoreducesocialisolationintheircommunities•Adaptationstoprogrammingtomeetclientneeds,includinginterpretation,curriculumadaptation,trainedvolunteers•Consistencyoffundingforruralprogram-mingtoensureserviceofferingsareavailablewherevernewcomerssettle•Transportationsubsidies,especiallyforyouth,arekeytoallowingnewcomerstoaccessavailablecriticalsocialsupports•Supporthostfamilyinitiativesinpartner-shipwithSPOsthatwillenhancenewcomerintegration

Labour Market•EncouragerelationshipbuildingbetweenSPOsandemployersinordertoassistnew-comerswithsuccessfulintegrationwithintheworkplace•Expandingcaptureoflabouroutcomestoincludeunderemployment(differentNOCcodefromcountryoforigin),temporarypositionasasteptolongtermcareergoals,andmediumandlongtermfollowupafteranemploymentintervention•Encourageemployerstoincludelanguagelearningatworkoptionsinordertoimproveworkplaceintegration,careerplanning,employmentmaintenanceandenhancement•KeepfocusonQualificationRecognitionaskeyinlongtermintegrationandemploy-mentsuccess

MANSO MOVING FORWARDAsonepresenterputitatthebeginningofDay1,theresettlementoftherecentsurgeofSyrianrefugeeswasanadrenalinerush,anincredibleexperienceandthefinestdemonstrationofatalentedandcohesivesectorcollaboratingbecausethat’swhatithasalwaysdone.Welearntandrelearntalotaboutourselvesandeachotherandstreamlinedtheintraandinteragencyprocesses.Thischallengewasauniqueopportunitytohaveeveryonearoundthetable,tobuildonexistingpartnershipsbetweenthree

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levelsofgovernment,thesettlementsector,ethno-culturalcommunitygroupsandmainstreamserviceproviders.GreatlybenefittingfromthecoordinationexperienceattheProvin-ciallevel,stakeholdershadacommongoaltocollaborate,reduceduplicationinservice,andeffectivelyharnesstheheartwarmingbutover-whelminglevelsofcommunitysupportandmostimportantlytomeetSyrianandCanadianexpectationsforacoordinatedandsuccessfulreceptionandsettlementprocess.

Duetotheunprecedentedpaceofarrivalsthereweremissedoverseasorientations,condensedorientationsonarrivalandpressureonstaff,volunteers,temporaryandpermanenthous-ingsolutionsandallotherareasofsettlementincludinghealth,languageassessmentandschoolregistration.Experiencedandnewly-hiredRAPproviderswereoncallupto24hoursadayandneversaidnotoworkinglongerandhardertomeettheneedsofthenewarrivals.Allfunders,butparticularlyIRCC,steppedupto

providenewresourcesandtheremaininggapsinsupportwerefilledbytheethno-culturalcom-munitygroups.Thesegroupsworkedtirelesslytowelcomeandreassure,andwhennecessary,advocateandmediateonbehalfoftherefugees.Asanotherpresentersaid:“theywilleventu-allystopbeingsettlementclientsbuttheywillalwaysbepartofthecommunity;wearetheretobreakthesocialisolation”.

Themostimportantlessonwehavelearnedfromthisprocessisthattheinnovativemodelsofmulti-stakeholdercoordinationandsettlementservicesdeliverythataredescribedasregionalbestpracticesorrecommendedforthefutureinthisreport,willimprovetheintegrationoutcomesofnotonlytherecentSyrianarrivals,butthoseofeverynewcomerwewelcometoManitoba.

ThefollowingtableshowshowMANSOcanusetheLessonslearnedatthiseventtodevelopastrategicplanwhichwillmaximizethecapac-ityofoursectortomeettheirclients’needs.

MANSOPRIORITIES IDENTIFIED BY SECTOR

ONGOING MANSO ACTIVITY

8 KEYACTION ITEMS

TIMELINE OUTCOMES

2. Sector + IRCC meetings to share information and coordinate data selection and collec-tion for Settlement Dashboard

1. Work with sec-tor to establish Manitoba’s Helping Immigrants Succeed outcomes in Labour, Social Connections and Language

2. Quarterly – three by phone, one in person each year.

1. Fall 2016 and ongoing

MANSOhasestab-lishedthefollowingCommittees

•PDCommittee

•HousingCommittee

•CareforNewcomerChildrenCommittee

•EmploymentCommittee

•HealthCommittee

•ResearchCommittee.

•NewcomerAdvisoryCommittee(Inpart-nershipwithIPW)

EALLanguageSectorWaitlistmanagementcoordinationthroughquarterlycalls

COMMUNICATIONConvene and man-age conversation between SPOs, IRCC and other levels of government regard-ing concerns, gaps and emerging issues identified in the settlement sector. Coordinate data and evidence collection to support dashboard and identify service and funding gaps.

Appropriate services to address settlement needs will be available

Partners and stake-holders are engaged in settlement and implement strategies to address newcomer needs

Provision of set-tlement services is professional consist-ent, innovative and coordinated

Newcomer clients are fully supported in working towards their immediate and long-term integration outcomes




8 KEYACTION ITEMS

TIMELINE OUTCOMES

3. Work with IPW and Provincial and Federal Multicul-tural Departments to ensure ethno-cultural community groups included in integration outcome conversation for all newcomers including at in-person annual sector conversation

3. Ongoing – regular meetings to be led by IPW and Provin-cial and Federal Mul-ticulturalism depts.

4. Develop a sched-ule and convene calls with service providers, IRCC and the Province to share information and select data to gather and upload to Dashboard

4. Monthly

5. Create a working group to develop a standardized needs assessment for RAP Providers

5. Fall 2016

6. Refugee Response Coordinators to up-date the settlement sector on Reset-tlement through e-newsletters

6. Monthly

7. Develop Manitoba specific information for SAH’s and act as connectors for PSRs across the Province with SPOs

7. Fall 2016 and ongoing

Convene and facili-tate sector calls

Employ 2 Refugee Response Coordina-tors

Attend regular multi sector Refugee Resettlement Coor-dination Meetings

Collect and submit data for the Refugee Response Dashboard

Coordinated 2-day Lessons Learned Event and submitted

report

COORDINATION

ofinclusivetablesforRefugeeResponse

Enabling resources, expertise and knowl-edge of all stakehold-ers, including rural and francophone service providers, ethno-cultural com-munity groups and SAHs to be shared from the beginning of the process. Making sure down-stream service providers know what is happening at the reception and resettlement phase so that they can plan ahead.

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8 KEYACTION ITEMS

TIMELINE OUTCOMES

“Theywilleventuallystopbeingsettlementclientsbuttheywillalwaysbepartofthecommunity;wearetheretobreakthesocialisolation.”

CAPACITYBUILDING

Increasesectorcapac-ityandimprovenew-comeroutcomesbybuildingpartnershipsbetweenMANSOandawiderrangeofstakeholders,betweenMANSOmembersandbetweenSPOsandothersupportsin-cludingethno-culturalcommunitygroupstoworktogethertohelpclientsmeettheirintegrationgoals

MANSOpartofmanymultisectornetworksincludingNationalSettlementCouncil(NSC)IPWCouncil,

CityofWinnipegCitizenEquityCom-mittee,NewcomerLanguageAdvisoryBody(NLAB),West-ernRegionWorkingGroupandWesternRegionResearchAdvisoryCommit-tee(WRRAC)andCCEDNET

RegularmeetingswithProvinceandprovincially-fundedMANSOstaffmem-bertobeavoiceforsectorconcernsfornewcomeroutcomesrelatingtoProvincialDepartmentsinclud-ingHealth,Education,Youth,CFS,Employ-ment/EIandHousing.

8. Support mem-bers’ organizational capacity in social innovation, partner-ships and leveraging in-kind and financial support. Provide PD opportunities to sec-tor staff to increase capacity in identify-ing issues in meeting client needs and developing solutions (such as in-home conversation circles led by EAL volun-teers and NISWs established by MAN-SO to meet need identified at Lessons Learned Event.) This initiative provides women with very low language levels and young children the opportunity to practice English, build their confi-dence levels and be referred to appro-priate Settlement resources.

8. Ongoing Build on best prac-tices and scaleable pilot programming

Reduce duplication or underutilized services and maxi-mize use of existing funding

Improve newcomer short-term and long-term integration outcomes


APPENDICESAGENDA


AGENDA


QUICK FACTS ON THE SYRIA REFUGEE RESPONSE

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FINAL PARTICIPANT LIST


ACRONYM CHEAT SHEET

lessons learned settlement & integration consultation€¦ · region to convene a lessons...

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