Evaluation of the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP)
2.0 Appropriateness of the delivery model
Summary of Findings:
There is an identified need for continuing federal government involvement in the funding and support of settlement services. Local community-based service providers are reported to bring many strengths to the delivery of settlement services and are considered the most cost-efficient and effective means of direct service delivery. Therefore, the current model of settlement service delivery is considered to be the most appropriate.
2.1 Ongoing Role for Federal Government
The evaluation found that there is a continuing need for federal government involvement in the funding and support of settlement programming. Key informants and focus group participants strongly indicated that there is a need for federal government involvement. Many interviewees commented that they considered immigration to be a federal government mandate and that, in order to ensure consistency of delivery, the federal government must continue to play a role. It was also noted that federal involvement would ensure that the focus on services to newcomers would be maintained. In addition, it was mentioned that a federal government presence in delivering settlement programs could more readily deal with issues related to secondary migration. In these cases, the argument is that immigrants who relocate in another part of the country would be assured of accessing the same kinds of services and material to a similar degree of quality.
Survey results also indicated the strong support for federal involvement, with 94 percent of Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) agreeing with the need for federal government programming. As well, 99 percent of service providers said that federal government support is necessary for newcomer organizations to have the capacity to meet the needs of newcomers. This support was equally strong in each of the regions surveyed.
While CIC is responsible for setting national standards and goals, defining immigrant classes and establishing overall immigration levels each year, there are a number of collaborative intergovernmental mechanisms in place, in addition to various federal-provincial agreements (e.g., the Canada-Nova Scotia Agreement on Provincial Nominees, the Canada-Quebec Accord and provincial agreements signed with Manitoba and British Columbia) [note 2]. Many participants acknowledged there was a role for the provinces, but most agreed that, where provinces step in for the provision of services to newcomers, there must still be federal government participation in terms of ensuring a consistency of services, as well as ensuring that dollars transferred for settlement programs for newcomers are, in fact, spent in this way and not redirected [note 3].
2.2 The Case for Community-based Service Delivery
All lines of evidence of the evaluation confirmed that community-based service providers are the most effective and efficient means for delivering programs and meeting client needs for settlement services. Respondents illustrated this by pointing to the use of volunteers, the availability of local level services, locations close to the newcomers, and the use of partnerships.
Many SPOs recruit volunteers and staff from the immigrant community they are serving. This allows them to better serve their clients because they can speak to them in their mother tongue. Having front-line settlement workers with first-hand experience also helps immigrants to develop trust in the service provider. Using volunteers and part-time staff allows SPOs to minimize human resource expenses. Key informants noted the importance of the location of SPOs in meeting immigrants’ needs. Often SPOs are located in low-rent areas, where the immigrants are also located. This makes them more accessible and relevant to the community they are serving.
The evaluation explored alternatives to the current service delivery arrangement, although respondents could not identify a more cost-effective approach (e.g., private sector and government delivery were both mentioned, but not recommended).
Partnerships form a crucial component of the effectiveness of an SPO. SPOs can form two kinds of partnerships. In the one case, SPOs partner with other community organizations that can deliver services either jointly or on behalf of the SPO. In the second case, the SPOs partner with other community service providers or organizations to which the SPOs can refer their clients. SPOs with a well-developed referral network are better placed to meet clients’ needs since they can refer the client to another organization that is prepared to offer a specialized service, such as trauma counselling. Key informants reported having a range of networks and partners, from employment contacts to health units.
However, the evaluation revealed that partnerships are not commonplace and the survey results point to regional disparities when it comes to the ability to form partnerships, particularly to deliver services. Only about one in three SPOs reported that they use partnerships to deliver ISAP services (36 percent). The Atlantic Region was less likely (17 percent) than other regions to report using partnerships for service delivery. In the Prairie and Northern Territories (PNT) Region, the number was more than double at 38.9 percent. In Alberta, for example, key informants discussed partnership arrangements with health units and others to provide a “one stop shop” for immigrants. Key informants in Atlantic Region described struggling to deliver existing services and having difficulty finding the time to develop partnerships. It appears that more could be done to leverage the community base in many instances.
Partnerships for referrals were more prevalent. When asked whether partnerships are in place to support referral patterns matched to newcomer needs, 69 percent of respondents said they were. However, only 33 percent of respondents in the Atlantic Region reported having partnerships in place to support referral programs. Key informants in Atlantic Region reported that developing these partnerships depends on networking capability and opportunities, as well as the existence of potential partners. The survey findings are presented in Exhibit 2.1.
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2. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/immigration2003.asp
3. The actual quality and appropriateness of the provincial delivery model was not evaluated in this study.
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