2.1.1 Settlement planning and information delivery

Objective

• Support the successful settlement of migrants and humanitarian entrants through a strategic and coordinated approach to service planning for new arrivals.

Description

This output component supports the planning of settlement services. It also supports the provision of information to newly arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants and to those who provide mainstream or specialised settlement services to them.

Performance

A number of initiatives have been delivered under the National Framework for Settlement Planning which aims to provide a more strategic and coordinated national approach. These include a series of community profiles on key humanitarian communities within Australia and annual Settlement Needs and Demographic Trends Reports that provide demographic data on settlement patterns of new arrivals and comprehensive information on their needs.

The first trend reports and community profiles were launched in August 2006 and feedback from stakeholders has been very positive. Community profiles on 10 key humanitarian communities have been published (Bhutanese, Burmese, Congolese - DRC, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Liberian, Sierra Leonean, Sudanese, Togolese and Uzbek).

Regional settlement

As recommended in the 2003 Report of the Review of Settlement Services for Migrants and Humanitarian Entrants, the department has sought to identify new regional locations for humanitarian settlement. Two new locations were established - in Ballarat, Victoria, with the first families arriving in May 2007, and in Mount Gambier, South Australia in June 2007.

The department undertook an evaluation of the first humanitarian settlement pilot in Shepparton, Victoria which found that the initiative had been largely a positive experience for both the town and the entrants. It also provided valuable feedback for further activities in regional settlement.

Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council

The Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council (RRAC) continued to provide high quality policy advice and input on the settlement of newly-arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants. It has an ongoing dialogue with the minister and the assistant minister. Among other activities, the RRAC had considerable input to the deliberations of the IDC on Humanitarian Settlement. The RRAC ended its fourth term on 30 June 2007.

Settlement DVD for humanitarian entrants

In 2006-07 the department developed an orientation DVD, Australia, a new home to help settlement service providers deliver information on life in Australia to newly-arrived humanitarian entrants from Africa, particularly those with low levels of literacy in their first language and English.

The DVD focuses on delivering important settlement information in a simple and engaging format. It is available in seven different languages: Amharic, Dinka, Kirundi, Sudanese Arabic, Swahili, Tigrinya and English. Each language is supported by English subtitles.

Settlement database

The department's settlement database provides statistical information for settlement planning and policy development.

Table 59: Settlement services - performance information

Measures	Results
Settlement planning and information delivery
Quantity
Development of needs-based planning arrangements to inform the new Settlement Grants Programme (SGP).	Inaugural annual reports on trends in humanitarian settlement and settlement needs were launched to help settlement stakeholders to plan their services. Information from these reports fed into advertising of the 2007-08 SGP funding round.
Quality
Extent to which identified needs of target group are met.	Settlement planning information was used to assess 2007-08 funding applications. Projects funded reflect the priority needs that were identified.
On-line settlement information
Quantity
Availability of relevant settlement information in an accessible form.	A wide range of new settlement information was developed and published, including needs and trends reports and community profiles. The Beginning a Life in Australia booklet was updated and distributed. New Beginnings: Life in Australia was launched in October 2006.
Quality
Relevant and current content.	Feedback from stakeholders indicated general satisfaction with the content of settlement information. A survey of settlement service providers indicated they were satisfied with the content of the Beginning a Life in Australia booklets.

Table 60: Humanitarian settlement services - performance information

Measures	Results
Quantity
Offshore Humanitarian Programme entrants assisted.	The IHSS assisted 12 307 entrants comprising: 6230 refugees 5993 Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) entrants 84 PV holders. The extent to which SHP entrants receive services under the IHSS is dependent upon the capacity of proposers to support their entrants. Proposers of SHPs are eligible for proposer support services.
Quality
Level of client satisfaction as measured through client and community feedback.	Reports from service providers indicate satisfaction with the IHSS services delivered.1

This information is used in developing programme planning and service delivery across Australia. Since February 2007, settlement location data has improved markedly following a collaborative arrangement between the department and Medicare Australia under which updated client address data is regularly exchanged between the two agencies.

Settlement information

Two updates of the Beginning a Life in Australia booklets were released during 2006-07. The booklets welcome new and prospective migrants to Australia and provide information for them, their sponsors, and service providers on the types of services available and advice on where to go to for help. Settlement information is provided in separate booklets tailored to each state and territory and is available in English and 24 languages. The booklets are available from the department's website at www.immi.gov.au

Another booklet New Beginnings: Life in Australia was launched in October 2006 to provide a comprehensive statistical and descriptive account of the humanitarian settlement process. It includes personal stories of refugees and explains the settlement help available to support new arrivals on their settlement journey.

The Living in Australia section of the department's website provides ready access to extensive settlement information. There have been more than one million page views by clients during 2006-07. The site provides information and services to the department's clients including prospective migrants, newly-arrived migrants, sponsors of migrants, service providers and the wider Australian community.