In-School Settlement Practitioners help connect newly arrived families with many kinds of settlement services that assist in making the transition to a new country and community. These can include:
Education
- Upgrading skills and building academic credentials
- Accessing distance education
- Applying for financial assistance
- Applying to and accessing post-secondary education (e.g., TOEFL, GSAT, LSAT)
- Understanding Alberta’s education system and educational responsibilities
Employment
- Applying for a Social Insurance Number
- Referral to career counsellor
- Understanding workers rights, and occupational health and safety
- Negotiating terms of employment, work hours, benefits and pay
Financial
- Finding a financial institution
- Setting up a bank account
- Learning about bank services (e.g., ATM cards, credit, online banking)
- Budgeting and managing finances
Health
- Applying for an Alberta Health Card
- Locating a local physician or other health care professional
- Learning about nutrition in the Canadian context
- Accessing specialized health services
Living
- Locating appropriate housing
- Accessing housing programs and services
- Learning about leasing, tenant rights and responsibilities
- Setting up utilities and services (e.g., telephone, power, heat)
- Locating and accessing child care services
- Finding and accessing recreation programs and activities
- Obtaining a driver’s licence
- Accessing public transit
- Accessing social and community assistance services
- Learning about local customs and rights
- Accessing legal aid
- Navigating immigration and citizenship issues
Better Outcomes
The In-School Settlement Program leads to better outcomes for newly arrived families, their children, their communities and the province as a whole.
Improved understanding
Newcomer families have timely, useful and accurate information to form settlement decisions and understand life in Canada.
Enhanced stability
Systematically reaching and connecting more families with settlement services facilitates their stability and helps prevent challenges such as homelessness, disease, injury or malnutrition.
Stronger Community Connections
Through the intersection of settlement and the school, newcomer families have the opportunities to form more social connections, helping them establish roots in the community and build support networks.
Engagement in Education
Outreach and programming efforts help facilitate and encourage newcomer families to take active roles and involvement in their children’s education.
Better Learners
Reaching and connecting families with settlement services helps prevent and address stresses and challenges at home, helping prevent challenges in the classroom and better positioning new students for learning.
Supported Educators
Educators are unburdened by settlement issues, enabling them to focus on educating learners while also having access to cultural information and knowledge that can support their efforts.