Release of Humanitarian Settlement Services request for tender
17 March 2010
The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, today announced the release of the request for tender for the new Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS) program.
‘A new flexible, client-centred approach will be the focus of Australian settlement services,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘The HSS program has been shaped by feedback from the extensive consultations I undertook with community and industry groups between June and August 2009.
‘Refugees and other humanitarian clients settle more quickly and adjust to the changes in their lives if assistance is focused on individual needs and provided at an early stage.
‘The HSS program provides the skills and knowledge for people to begin their new lives in Australia and to build their ability to participate in Australia’s economic and social life.
It will deliver four key services—case management, accommodation, local area coordination and an optional volunteer program—through a coordinated case management model.’
Key features include the introduction of a comprehensive cultural orientation program with emphasis on competency-based learning and a number of strategies to address the particular needs of young people.
The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has agreed in principle to the transfer of the short-term torture and trauma counselling services currently provided under the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS). Subject to a final decision by the government, the transfer is expected to occur in the 2011–12 program year. In the interim, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship will undertake a separate process to the HSS tender to enable services to continue until transferred to DoHA.
‘It is difficult to overstate the importance accommodation plays in the successful settlement of refugees and other humanitarian arrivals,’ Mr Ferguson said.
The HSS program will allow separate requests for tenders for accommodation services and is seeking innovation from the housing sector to provide these services – particularly for single people, young people and groups who require additional support.
The HSS program replaces the existing IHSS. The request for tender is available on the AusTender website. Enquiries on the tender should be directed to the nominated departmental contact officer. More information is available at AusTender website.
See: www.tenders.gov.au
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2010/lf10016.htm
Last update: 17 March 2010 at 17:23 AEST