Settlement support

Humanitarian Settlement Strategy | Settlement Grants Program | Complex Case Support

Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (HSS)

The Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (HSS) provides intensive settlement support to newly arrived refugee and humanitarian entrants. The HSS aims to help refugees achieve self sufficiency as soon as possible by providing them with specialised services on a needs basis. Through a case management approach, the needs of refugee entrants are identified and settlement services tailored to meet their particular circumstances.

HSS focuses on equipping entrants to gain access to mainstream services. HSS services are generally provided for six to twelve months, but may be extended for particularly vulnerable clients.

The HSS replaced the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Services (IHSS) Program in 2011.

Eligibility

All refugee and humanitarian entrants are eligible to access some services provided through the HSS, however not all will receive the full range of services.

There is an expectation that proposers under the Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) will provide central support to new entrants, although there are mechanisms within the HSS for assessing and identifying SHP proposer/entrant capacity and needs, and ensuring HSS services are extended where gaps are identified. HSS case managers are required to undertake a needs assessment, progress review and exit interview for all new SHP entrants and to involve proposers in assessments where possible. Where it is identified that a proposer cannot meet all the settlement needs of the SHP entrant, HSS services are required to provide that support.

Since 21 January 2009, refugees who are granted visas onshore (visa subclass 866) are eligible to access HSS services.

HSS services

The HSS provides four key services—case management, accommodation, local area coordination and an optional volunteer program—through a coordinated case management model. Services include:

• Case management – Case management within the HSS consists of six components: (i) Needs assessment and case management plan, (ii) transit assistance, (iii) reception, property induction and initial food provision, (iv) essential registrations, (v) orientation, and (vi) health services.
• Accommodation – HSS service providers must ensure that all clients are residing in long-term accommodation within six months of arrival. Housing models vary depending on local circumstances and providers.
• Local Area Coordination (LAC) – HSS service providers coordinate and administer quarterly meetings with representatives of key government agencies and relevant services within their contract region to provide a structured mechanism for settlement service coordination, and to discuss future anticipated settlement patterns and any emerging settlement needs or trends.
• Volunteer program – It is no longer mandatory for HSS providers to incorporate a volunteer component as part of their service as it was under the previous IHSS. However, if HSS providers do involve volunteers, they are required to develop an overarching Volunteer Program Framework and appoint a volunteer coordinator.

When humanitarian entrants exit the HSS, they are referred to general settlement services provided through migrant resource centres, migrant service agencies and organisations funded under the Settlement Grants Program or to the Complex Case Support Service.

HSS service providers 2011-2016

HSS services are delivered by service providers contracted to DIAC. A list of current HSS providers can be found at www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/find-help/hss/hss_service_providers.pdf.

Settlement Grants Program (SGP)

The Settlement Grants Program (SGP) is a Federal Government grant program administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship which provides funding to organisations with the aim of assisting eligible clients to become self-reliant and participate equitably in Australian society as soon as possible after arrival.

The program targets clients who:

• are permanent residents;
• have been in Australia less than five years; and
• are either humanitarian entrants, family stream migrants with low levels of English proficiency, or dependents of skilled migrants with low English proficiency who have settled in rural or regional areas.
• Also included in the target group are selected temporary residents (Prospective Marriage, Provisional Spouse, Provisional Partner, Provisional Interdependency visa holders and their dependants) in rural and regional areas who have arrived in the last five years and who have low English proficiency.

Services funded under the SGP include Generalist and Specialist services.

Generalist services comprise two service types:

• Orientation to Australia - Orientation services promote self-reliance in individuals and families through the development of knowledge, settlement life skills and familiarity with Australian norms and way of life (cultural, social and legal). Orientation activities aim to equip clients with settlement life skills and the information they need to operate independently and access mainstream services and opportunities. Projects include, but are not limited to, casework, provision of information, referral to appropriate agencies and teaching settlement life skills.
• Participation in Australian society – Participation in Australian society activities are aimed at encouraging opportunities for new arrivals to be part of the broader Australian community. Projects provide opportunities for clients to experience aspects of Australian society and are aimed at encouraging collaboration between mainstream Australian communities and government organisations to enable better settlement outcomes. This is a two way process: assisting new arrivals to interact with and understand the broader community and encouraging the broader community to be responsive to new arrivals.

Specialist services provide targeted assistance in areas of high need and where there is no other service provider or program in the area. The main types of specialist service are:

• Immigration assistance – Under the SGP, immigration assistance is provided through specialist SGP services by registered migration agents as a component of casework for humanitarian entrants who wish to propose family members, where this has been assessed by the case manager as necessary for the client’s successful settlement. Clients are referred to specialist immigration assistance providers by their SGP case manager.
• Housing services – Accommodation assistance under the SGP is aimed at helping clients source long-term accommodation. A small number of specialist SGP housing providers are funded in identified service regions to provide intensive accommodation assistance on a one-on-one basis where this issue is inhibiting client’s settlement and such services are not available through other mechanisms.
• Ethno-specific funding for newly arrived communities – The SGP funds projects which help ethno-specific communities work towards common goals; promote their culture to Australian society in a positive way; and welcome subsequent new arrivals. Specialist SGP funding aims to build the capacity of ethno-specific organisations to provide social and other support to newly arrived communities where there are large cohorts of new humanitarian arrivals or for those groups that continue to demonstrate significant needs which are not understood or able to be met by generalist providers. Ethno-specific organisations are encouraged to build stronger relationships with generalist SGP providers in the area to create improved opportunities for better achieve client outcomes.

To see DIAC's information sheet on the SGP, click here.

Analysis of SGP funding trends

In 2010-11, $34,906,601 in SGP grant money was announced for 219 projects to be delivered by 145 organisations. Services are funded according to which communities and locations are in greatest need of settlement assistance and are responsive to changing settlement patterns and needs. RCOA's analysis of the 2011-12 funding round can be downloaded here.

The 2011-12 analysis builds on RCOA’s analysis of SGP funding trends from 2007-2011, which can be downloaded here.

SGP Providers

The Department of Immigration’s Settlement Services Locator is an online searchable database of SGP and AMEP services.

To download RCOA’s analysis of the 2010-11 SGP funding round, including a full list of all currently funded SGP providers, click here.

Complex Case Support (CCS) Service

Complex Case Support (CCS) is a DIAC-funded service assisting newly arrived refugee and humanitarian entrants with specialised, intensive case management. Those referred to CCS often experience multiple barriers to successful settlement that include pre-migration experiences, severe physical and mental health conditions or crisis events after arrival. CCS is specifically targeted at supporting clients whose needs extend beyond the scope of core settlement services (such as the HSS and SGP). The program is designed to work in partnership with settlement and mainstream services.

CCS services are delivered nationally through the Humanitarian Services Panel. The panel comprises 38 organisations which have demonstrated experience in providing case management services to humanitarian entrants and are able to provide services on a needs basis.

Click here to download a brochure about CCS from the Department of Immigration website

How to refer a client to the CCS service

Anyone can refer a client for CCS assessment including:

• DIAC funded service providers
• Commonwealth, state or territory government agencies
• Community and health organisations
• Volunteer groups
• Self referral.

If someone you know is particularly vulnerable and in need of additional support, simply complete a CCS referral form and forward it to your nearest DIAC state or territory office. You can download the referral form here.)

CCS contact details for each DIAC state and territory office are as follows:

Australian Capital Territory	ccs.act@immi.gov.au
New South Wales	ccs.nsw@immi.gov.au
Northern Territory	ccs.nt@immi.gov.au
Queensland	ccs.qld@immi.gov.au
South Australia	ccs.sa@immi.gov.au
Tasmania	ccs.tas@immi.gov.au
Victoria	ccs.vic@immi.gov.au
Western Australia	ccs.wa@immi.gov.au