National conference of the Settlement Council of Australia
28 May 2009
SCoA executive members Dewani Bakkum and Eugenia Tsoulis with Attorney-General Robert McClelland, Parliamentary Secretary Laurie Ferguson, SCoA chair Ricci Bartels and ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs John Hargreaves.
Laurie Ferguson delivered the opening address at the first national conference of the Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) on May 28. SCoA is the Department of Immigration and Citizenship-funded peak body that represents migrant resource centres and other settlement service providers. The theme of the conference was Settlement Services – Building a Future for Social Inclusion. It brought together recipients of settlement grants funding, client groups and policy-makers to discuss policy and service delivery, with a particular focus on the needs of women and young people. Mr Ferguson congratulated Andrew Cummings on becoming the first executive officer of SCoA.
The below article by the Settlement Council of Australia was published in UNHCR's January edition of its Refugee Newsletter. It can be found online.
See: www.unhcr.org.au
Settlement services in Australia: an overview
From the Settlement Council of Australia
In November 2008, the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) received a grant from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, in recognition of its role as the national peak body for settlement services.
The grant enabled SCOA to set up a national office and employ an Executive Officer. Prior to this, SCOA was known as the National Council of Migrant Resource and Settlement Agencies (NCMRSA), which had operated as a national network of settlement service providers.
In the short time since receiving funding, SCOA has achieved a considerable amount. Some of the key milestones include:
- Establishing a national office in Sydney;
- Launching our website at www.scoa.org.au;
- Running the first national settlement conference for over 180 delegates from every state and territory;
- Conducting a national survey of settlement service providers in order to map settlement service provision, and to consult on the future role and direction of SCOA;
- Establishing a close working relationship with other peak bodies, including the Refugee Council of Australia, the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils and the National Multicultural Youth Advisory Council;
- Attending the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs in Geneva;
- Providing written responses on key issues around settlement issues for refugees and humanitarian entrants;
- Holding meetings with the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services and key staff of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship;
- Increasing our membership threefold.
Feedback from the First National Settlement Conference
The first national settlement conference was held in Canberra on 28-29 May 2009, with the theme of 'Settlement Services – Building a Future for Social Inclusion'. The support for the conference by so many organisations and workers across the sector and from all corners of Australia, whether working as policy makers, practitioners or researchers was indicative of the very real interest, commitment and need for the sector to come together, to share their experiences, practice and achievements to date.
Over 180 participants registered for the conference to listen to presentations, participate in good practice workshops, and most importantly through roundtable
discussions, to develop strategies and recommendations that will drive the national settlement agenda into the future.
As importantly, the current members of the SCOA as well as prospective members and allied settlement organisations confirmed their commitment to support the SCOA's work as the peak body that will represent the many and varied efforts of settlement services through advice to government, research, information sharing and assisting the development of national standards. Many organisations have already demonstrated their commitment through application for formal membership.
Through roundtable discussions, conference delegates identified a number of key recommendations. The recommendations from the conference covered the following themes:
- Sustainable funding for program development;
- Evidence based and driven service planning;
- Supporting community empowerment as the most successful pathway to independence and integration;
- Outcomes focused program evaluation;
- Strengthening linkages between settlement services and allied services.
These recommendations will be prioritised and forwarded to relevant stakeholders in accordance with SCOA's key areas of work and resource capabilities, including DIAC and other Commonwealth agencies, the Australian Social Inclusion Board, Australian Multicultural Advisory Council, Refugee Council of Australia, Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, Australian Human Rights Commission, and other national peak bodies such as FECCA, ACOSS and the National Women's Consultative Council. A copy of the conference report is available on SCOA's website.
Responding to Key Settlement Issues
SCOA has produced a number of papers on key settlement issues, in response to government discussion papers and consultations on issues of importance to SCOA's member organisations. These include:
- A response to the Discussion Paper on Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program;
- A response to the Discussion Paper on the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS);
- A paper on Developing a National Model for Multicultural Youth Programs Based on Best Practice Initiatives;
- A Multicultural Policy Paper in light of consultations by the Australian Multicultural Advisory Council (AMAC).
Some of the key recommendations to come out of these papers include:
- The need for greater recognition and valuing of the specialism and expertise upon which effective settlement services need to be based. Such expertise is built upon a variety of experiences, including:
- A strong track record in delivering multicultural services;
- A thorough understanding and respect for cultural differences;
- Experience in assisting staff and organisations to develop cultural competencies;
- Extensive experience in promoting Access and Equity.
- Delivering high quality settlement services involves far more than providing information and referral, and linking clients to other services. Seeing settlement as requiring primarily information and referral services promotes a 'tick box' approach, and also over simplifies the high level of skill required in delivering effective settlement casework. More emphasis should be placed upon the development of 'settlement life skills', based on a client focused, competency-based approach to adult learning, rather than a 'tick box' approach to information delivery.
- Flexibility is another key element to the delivery of settlement services across Australia. There is no 'one size fits all' solution, especially when it comes to finding solutions to complex issues such as housing and health service provision. It is important to learn from innovative approaches to settlement service delivery, and explore ways that these models can be replicated and/or adapted.
- With regard to multiculturalism in Australia, we do not believe a minor makeover on current policy without program development and resource commitment will make much difference. Indeed it will reinforce some of the disappointment and cynicism that already has grown in relation to the current government. SCOA is happy within our limited resources to contribute in a continuing way to this process of stakeholder engagement in the formulation of policy.
With the momentum gained over the last few months, SCOA will continue to work to support the development of the settlement services sector, and to take forward the issues which have been identified as priorities by our members.
To find out more about the Settlement Council of Australia, or to inquire about membership, visit our website at www.scoa.org.au or email SCOA's Executive Officer, Andrew Cummings.
See: Index of Photo album
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/photos/2009/lf09033.htm
Last update: 10 February 2010 at 09:27 AEST