Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS)

When arriving in Canada, young newcomers may have difficulties adapting to their new school and social environment. Our settlement workers in the schools act as a bridge between school, family, and community. The program was initiated in 1999 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Its purpose is to guide newcomers in the educational field and Canadian society. Thanks to this program, young newcomers can benefit from the support for a settlement worker in their French school. 

Since November 2009, settlement worker teams serve the regions of Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, and London. The program is financed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

 

MANDATE

The school settlement workers' mandate is to facilitate the integration and scholastic success for young newcomers who attend French schools in both catholic and public school boards and their families.

  • Elementary level: establish a contact with newcomer families and offer support in settlement and integration.

  • Secondary level: establish a contact with the students attending secondary school and offer them support in settlement.

The school settlement worker:

  • enters in contact with the newcomer parents/guardians (and adolescents attending secondary school) to support them in answering their settlement needs;

  • directs families towards more specialized community resources, as needed;

  • offers group information sessions to parents/guardians and young newcomers, often in partnership with support workers;

  • helps support workers understand the needs of a newcomer in terms of settlement.