Orientation Resources

Alberta Settlement Practitioner Orientation

The following list of tasks covers the skills, theory and knowledge that settlement practitioners ought to become familiar with during the probationary period with their agency.  This list may vary according to the needs or goals of each settlement agency and/or the role that a new employee may perform within his/her agency.

The list of orientation tasks below begins with the new settlement practitioners' orientation to the day-to-day routine and human resources policies at their agency and extends to a greater understanding of client services, their agency's role and history and finally the greater role of the settlement sector in Alberta and Canada.  Included in the list below are on-line resources that are available for each of these orientation tasks.  In cases where the most appropriate or accurate resources are provided by the settlement worker's own agency no link is provided and it is the agency's responsibility to ensure new staff receive this information during their orientation.

Section I: Agency HR Protocols
Much of the training in this area is agency-specific.  As such, this document outlines the information covered and provides links to the training and certification programs that AAISA provides settlement practitioners..

Job description: limits of role, tasks

Terms of employment: contract, wages benefits, performance review, etc.

Work schedule: hours, holidays, lunches, vacation, leave, etc.

Workplace safety: security, harassment

Stress Management

AAISA certification procedure - AAISA strongly recommends that you start a binder the has records of your hiring date, job description(s) and any training that you have.  This will become a valuable document of your experience in the sector that you can use to apply for certification.

AAISA Training -  offered regularly throughout the year in Calgary and Edmonton

Agency policies

Training program, opportunities

Code of ethics/conduct – most AAISA agencies have their own codes of conduct or ethics.  For reference there is also a code of ethics featured on the Intergration-net.ca website page on Minimum Core Competencies for Settlement Practitioners.

 

Section II: Client Services

Much of this training may be specific to the agency or even the community that the settlement practitioner is working in.  However, there is some common knowledge that is pertinent and/or consistent for all agencies.  Also, federal government websites such as those for Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Statistics Canada are valuable.

 

Identify and define classes of immigrants - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

Review and observe intake procedures at your agency

Review privacy and confidentiality policies

Record keeping and file management

Review of settlement processes, services

Follow up procedures        

Referral procedures, processes

Familiarize self with demographics and needs of agency client base – this can be done at the StatsCan website and data can be searched based on nation, province, metropolitan area.  Some data is available for proportion of foreign born, number of immigrants by place of birth, percentage of immigrants, and percentage of visible minorities. Aggressively search for data on even smaller communities on the Stats Can website to get as complete a picture as possible of the demographics in your area.

Review Freedom of Information Protocol, and Personal Info Protection Act.

 

Section III: Your Settlement Agency

Much of this aspect of a settlement practitioner's orientation will be unique to the agency where he/she works.  Please review the following with the person designated to guide your training.

 

Agency mandate

Funding and accountability to funders

Agency organization, history, services

Agency procedures

Relationship with other agencies,  organizations, institutions

Organizational chart

 

Section IV: Background on the settlement sector

This aspect training as a settlement practitioner can be an ongoing pursuit of deeper knowledge about the sector, its history and the issues that have surrounded immigration and settlement throughout Canadian history.  This aspect of a settlement practitioner's professional development will be ongoing because of the depth and the integral part immigration has played in Canadian culture and history.  Also, due to changes in policy and trends in immigration and evolving best practices in this field, this area will continue to be an ongoing, fruitful area of study and reading.  The links in this area are by no means exhaustive.  If you or your agency use valuable references in relation to this aspect of settlement, please contact AAISA and share them so they can be added to this page.

 

History of immigration in Canada

A PowerPoint from the Institute for Research on Public Policy outlining Canada's history of immigration and its policies.

Canadian Council of Refugees: a time line of immigration history from 1900-2000. 

A series of articles on immigration history and cultural diversity in Canada. 

The Immigration entry from The Canadian Encyclopedia.

A summary of changes to immigration patterns from the federal Department of Justice website.

 

Citizenship and Immigration document/website reading

In English: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp
En francais: http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/index.asp

 

The United Nations 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol

 

Values and principles of the settlement sector

A definition of the settlement sector, its values, standards and principles as stated by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI).

The National Settlement Service and Standards Framework for the settlement sector.

Another definition of the settlement sector and its purpose, programs and partners provided by Metropolis.

 

Importance of cultural diversity

The text of a speech by Barbara Motzney on the importance of cultural diversity, given in 2002.

An article about Canada's cultural diversity from the Multicultural Canada website.

A document from the Government of Canada couching the significance of linguistic and cultural diversity in an economic context.

 

Definition of cultural competency

A guide for cultural competency published for volunteer sector organizations.

A diversity tool kit for people working with children. 

An article on how to deal with conflict in cross-cultural situations and environments.

Geert Hofstede's research and analysis of cultural dimensions.

 

Rules, guidelines for working in a culturally diverse environment

Pages 11-12 of this Skills Without Borders provide some guidelines and expectations. 

The following is a brief article about healthy workplaces.