Module 4: counselling and Case management:
Introduction
Settlement and social service providers require a range of skills and knowledge to appropriately and effectively support immigrant and refugee clients.
module also outlines strategies for providing trauma-informed services. Service providers will learn how to respond to specific client situations, such as how to maintain professional boundaries, when to refer a client to specialized services and how to support a client in crisis.
This module contains three sections:
Settlement counselling and beyond
Communication skills
Case management
4.1 Settlement counselling and beyond
Settlement counselling involves providing a range of services to newly-arrived immigrants and refugees to facilitate their participation in and contribution to life in Canadian society (IRCC, 2017).
About 40 per cent of newcomers use at least one settlement service within the first two years of being in Canada. Some groups are more likely to need and use settlement services, such as resettled refugees (72 per cent), while economic immigrants are less likely to use these services (31 per cent) (IRCC, 2017). The most common need identified by clients is to increase their “knowledge of community and government services and life in Canada” (IRCC, 2017, p. 23).
Settlement services provided directly to clients generally fall within the following six areas funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, 2017):
Needs Assessments and Referrals
Information and Orientation
Language Assessments
Language Training
Employment-Related Services
Community Connections.
The IRCC Settlement Program also funds the following six support services that facilitate access to settlement programming or that indirectly support the partnerships, capacity-building and sharing of best practices among service providers (IRCC, 2017):
Care for Newcomer Children
Transportation
Translation
Interpretation
Disability Support
Crisis Counselling.
4.1.1 Best practices in settlement services:
One such guideline states that practices, programs and services should (Turegun, 2011, p. 13):
Be accessible to their specific target (client) populations as much as possible.
Get clients involved in both conception and delivery stages.
Build on, and cultivate, collaboration between their stakeholders (service provider and various third parties) during both design and implementation.
Be accountable to their funders and target populations as well as to the general public.
Have a measurable positive outcome for the newcomer populations targeted.
Examples of best practices initiatives
The Canadian Government maintains an index of best practices in settlement services that covers newcomer orientation, language and skills, labour market access, welcoming communities, and policy and program development. These Canadian as well as international initiatives aim to promote innovative ways to help immigrants integrate into their new communities.
Some of the best practices include the following programs or projects:
Community Airport Newcomers Network (C.A.N.N.)
Early Years Refugee Program
The Gateway Project
4.1.2 Settlement counselling and mental health
At times, addressing clients’ mental health needs and concerns requires exploration of other issues that may be affecting their lives, such as the following:
Practical issues: Employment, access to income support, housing and referrals to health clinics to address physical health problems are key sources of concern for many newcomers and often require follow-up or support.
Social and cultural issues: Stigma, cultural identity and language barriers often affect the newcomer experience.
Family issues: Family separation, reunification or relationships with partners or children are common stressors for newcomers.
An appropriate referral to specialized mental health resources is required in the following situations:
Diagnosis of severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, clinical depression or bipolar disorder.
Evidence that a client is at a high risk of suicide.
Evidence that a substance use problem or disorder is affecting a client’s behaviour and habits or poses a threat to the service provider.
A study of Canada’s settlement services revealed a high level and growing need for mental health support for newcomers (IRCC, 2017). The study also showed that service provider organizations are often not equipped to deal with the mental health issues that immigrants and refugees may present with (IRCC, 2017). Besides referrals to mental health resources, organizations providing settlement services can also seek partnerships or collaborations across sectors, allowing clients to access both settlement and mental health services where one is informed by the other. Some organizations offer both services.
Integrated settlement and mental health services allow service providers to more easily coordinate services, while allowing clients to seamlessly access them as needed. In supporting clients’ immediate settlement needs, service providers have the potential to build strong client relationships. This can lead to the additional benefit of clients being more open to accessing mental health services when the need arises.
Some examples of agencies providing both settlement and mental health services include the following:
Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) provides services such as a trauma counselling, and psychosocial education to help refugees in their settlement process. VAST also provides a psychosocial support group for refugees working through their refugee claims. Through a partnership, it also provides an integrated approach to addressing refugee clients’ mental health and settlement needs during their first few months in Canada.
Madison Community Services offers a range of community-based, holistic services through its Recovery during Immigration and Settlement (RISE) program. The program addresses the mental health and settlement challenges of immigrants and refugees who experience substantial stress during their settlement process. RISE provides one-on-one case management, group orientation sessions and peer support to newcomers in Toronto.
Question1: develop an infographic development about the counselling and Case management
Question 2: summery about the counselling and case management
