Types of services and support

​​SETS provides clients with:

  • settlement-related information
  • advice
  • advocacy and
  • help to use mainstream and other relevant services. 

Our program tailors SETS services to client issues. These issues may vary and change across locations, cohorts and during each client’s settlement journey. Types of activities and deliverables include:

  • individual low or medium-intensity case management
  • group sessions
  • sector collaboration
  • community capacity building.

Facilitating domains and SETS activities

The Refugee and Humanitarian Entrant Settlement and Integration Outcomes Framework (Framework) explains the expected outcomes of the SETS program.

The Framework comprises of 11 domains outlining a structured approach to good settlement and integration outcomes. Each domain reflects an area critical to successful settlement and integration.

The key focus for SETS providers is to build self-agency and self-efficacy in SETS participants. SETS aims to support participants to achieve outcomes that align with these domains. SETS is a flexible program, with services tailored to need.

Economic participation

Service providers can encourage economic participation by sharing information about:

  • employment
  • self-employment
  • support with participation in pathways to employment
  • apprenticeships
  • mentoring/shadowing schemes
  • financial literacy
  • understanding of welfare rights and obligations
  • points of access for overseas skills/qualifications
  • the importance of prior skills and qualifications
  • Australian workplace systems and culture
  • rights and responsibilities in the workplace
  • occupational or work health and safety practices
  • recruitment practices
  • the importance of reporting earnings to the Australian Tax Office and Services Australia
  • success stories of pathways/outcomes for humanitarian entrants in employment
  • work experience placements, internships
  • volunteering with SETS clients and
  • pursuing appropriate educational, training and work experience opportunities.

Service providers may also help increase people’s economic participation using services including:

  • coaching
  • mentoring programs
  • career advice
  • pre-vocational training
  • bridging courses to improve quality of employment
  • assessing individual skills, experiences and qualifications
  • suitable employment readiness programs to improve employment outcomes
  • orientation to work
  • job searching
  • applying for jobs
  • preparing resumes and responses to selection criteria
  • interview techniques
  • workshops
  • advice on suitable workplace attire
  • work experience opportunities
  • career counselling
  • access to mainstream employment providers or other employment agencies and
  • access to local employer and training provider representatives to explore links for participants into local labour markets.

Health and wellbeing

We recognise refugee, humanitarian and other vulnerable entrants often present with health needs that differ from the mainstream Australian population.

Service providers can encourage health and wellbeing by sharing information about:

  • the Australian health system
  • Medicare
  • the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
  • emergency and ambulance services
  • the difference between general practitioners and specialists
  • medical documents
  • immunisation history
  • disability support services and pensions
  • mental health issues
  • health issues for specific groups, particularly women and young people.
  • Parenting
  • family or gender roles
  • family relationships
  • intergenerational conflict
  • rights and obligations under Australian law
  • cultural orientation in Australia
  • family conflict
  • legal issues
  • the roles of police, courts and child protection agencies
  • Australia’s family law provisions
  • reduction/prevention of domestic and family violence (DFV) among newly arrived communities

Service providers can also help increase client’s health and wellbeing using services including:

  • tailored and resourced support
  • referral and information around trauma recovery and mental health
  • referral to counselling and psychological services
  • inviting guest speakers from mainstream services that hold early intervention workshops
  • referral to culturally-appropriate and specific family mediation, information and support
  • referral to groups that give social support, such as men’s, women’s or parenting groups
  • referral to programs for newly arrived youth that give opportunities for young people to express themselves and build peer support networks
  • group information sessions and/or other educational initiatives or programs
  • warm referral pathways for those who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing DFV including:
    • specialist DFV
    • family relationship services
    • counselling
    • mental health support
    • emergency housing
    • legal services and
    • other mainstream services.

Language and digital literacy

Access to people, services and rights are often now either dependent on, or facilitated by, technology. Service providers can help increase participants language and digital literacy using services including:

  • support to use services and media
  • activities that improve digital skills
  • activities that encompass practices of digital safety to safeguard participants as they interact with digital platforms
  • innovative activities that help participants get digital technology skills
  • training community leaders to build their digital capabilities so they can further support digital skills of their newly arrived community members
  • opportunities to practice English skills in group work, conversational and practical settings and
  • referral to the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program and/or other suitable programs, and support to stay engaged.

Service providers can encourage language and digital literacy by sharing information about:

  • the value of English language classes
  • available English language programs, how to use them and the importance of regular attendance and
  • the availability of interpreting and translation services and how to use these.

Education

Service providers can encourage participants to explore education by sharing information about:

  • the Australian educational system requirements. This includes enrolment, compulsory attendance, school curriculum and other requirements of an age-based education system
  • solutions to address individual circumstances
  • importance of education in gaining employment.

Service providers can help support young people’s education using services including: 

  • help with homework or home tutoring schemes
  • reinforcing classroom teaching
  • support to stay engaged in education
  • helping young people of post-compulsory school age to engage in alternative education, training and employment options
  • referral to appropriate education, training and employment providers
  • help with apprenticeships, traineeship opportunities or tertiary education
  • early intervention approaches to keep students at risk of disengagement
  • referral to community learning, mentoring programs, counselling services
  • partnerships with schools that support enrolled students including community leaders to secure multicultural officers roles in local schools, colleges and TAFEs.

Housing and transport

Service providers can improve participants understanding of housing and transport by sharing information about:

  • issues such as overcrowding, safety, affordability, home maintenance literacy and access to transport
  • realistic housing options to manage expectations of housing affordability
  • relevant housing and rental laws
  • housing support services
  • how to apply for public housing
  • how to interact with real estate agents and how to secure rental accommodation
  • tenancy rights and responsibilities and tenant obligations
  • property maintenance
  • budgeting skills to manage rental payments
  • bond deposit and recovery
  • lease agreements
  • consequences of late rental payments or breaking a lease agreement
  • using public transport or bicycles, reading maps, public transport timetables, purchasing tickets, navigating stations or bike paths
  • licence laws
  • the rights and responsibilities of vehicle ownership including registration requirements
  • the importance of having appropriate insurance in the case of accidents or theft and
  • road rules and road safety, both for pedestrians and drivers.

Service providers can help support participants with housing and transport using services including: 

  • building capability to source and secure appropriate accommodation over time
  • help with accommodation issues, such as help to secure short term crisis accommodation
  • help with forms
  • help to apply for social housing/rental assistance for participants who have experienced or are at risk of DFV
  • building skills to access public transport
  • facilitating access other domains like employment, education or social connections
  • support to get a driver’s license and use driving instructors and driving programs.

Understanding host culture

Service providers can encourage an understanding of host culture by sharing information about:

  • cultural, social and legal norms and expectations in the community in which people are integrating
  • national and local protocols and customs and
  • Australian values and in some cases laws about child discipline and family dispute resolution mechanisms.

Social connections

Service providers can encourage participants to explore social connections by sharing information about:

  • how social connections link newcomers to opportunities across other domains like employment, housing, language and belonging
  • promoting feeling that participants’ position in the country and community are stable and permanent and
  • identifying community issues and services as they relate to participants’ interests and capabilities.

Service providers can help support participants with social connections using services including: 

  • helping new arrivals make social connections
  • giving youth and older migrants access to positive peer networks
  • help to develop bridging links with inter-ethnic networks and bonding through intra‑ethnic networks
  • sports, cultural, or employment preparation group activities for young people from similar backgrounds
  • group activities for those from different backgrounds
  • consulting with communities and helping them to develop plans to address their needs
  • educating children about their cultural heritage
  • establishing cultural centres
  • access local community activities and organisations like sporting, social clubs, school parent associations or volunteering.
  • referral to support groups to decrease social isolation and increase interaction with other communities
  • referral to cultural/historical excursions, multicultural cooking groups and men’s sheds and
  • mentoring and training to community leaders or ethno-specific organisations.

Community welcome

Service providers can encourage community welcome by:

  • sharing Australian community and individual success stories showing the positive sentiment towards humanitarian entrants and Australia’s Humanitarian Program
  • promoting the positive public discourse around migrants, particularly as linked to social issues
  • helping newly arrived individuals and communities work together toward common goals
  • promoting new cultures in Australian society in a positive way.

Access to institutions

Service providers can help participant’s access institutions using services including: 

  • activities that build the ability of participants to interact with and benefit from institutions in Australian society
  • help to access government services and programs, local government and community programs, private sector institutions (e.g. banks) and civic and political processes
  • referral to interpreting and translation services
  • encouraging participants to ask for interpreting help if they cannot understand a particular topic that is important to them and
  • inviting guest speakers to share information on Australia’s legal framework, government systems, court proceedings, accessing legal representation and key justice agencies.

Belonging

Service providers can encourage a sense of belonging, home and safety using services including:

  • inviting local migrants to speak about their journeys and how they have succeeded in achieving a sense of belonging
  • inviting guest speakers from the state or federal Human rights and anti-discrimination based organisations to speak about Australia’s goal for refugees and humanitarian entrants to feel that they belong as Australians and participate in its democratic processes.
  • sharing information that shows the exclusion impact of discrimination experiences on refugee wellbeing and their sense of belonging
  • sharing how to take a positive actions to mitigate the likelihood of the impact of negative events.

Safety and Security

Service providers can encourage safety and security using services including:

  • promoting the feeling that participants’ position in the country and community are stable and permanent
  • activities or sharing information that promote personal safety from violence (both perceived and actual), economic security and stable immigration status in Australia and
  • practical support such as road and pedestrian safety, water safety and digital safety.

Community Capacity Building


Community Capacity Building activities empower new and emerging community groups and organisations to support their specific communities. Community Capacity Building activities may include:

  • Identifying and assisting community leaders to volunteer with settlement programs by fostering their leadership skills and mentoring them.
  • Give volunteering opportunities for community leaders to volunteer with your organisation as a SETS provider.
  • Regular ongoing consultation with local communities to stay aware of their needs, trends, and strengths.
  • Helping community groups to access community resources and facilities to support their capacity to self-organise.
  • Give training, leadership skills and mentoring to community leaders.
  • Give opportunities for small ethno-specific groups to take part in the broader community and interact with different levels of government and local stakeholders on settlement issues.
  • Developing and training small and/or ethno-specific organisations, community groups and community leaders on organisational governance and project management.
  • Helping small and/or ethno-specific organisations become incorporated organisations, with the goal of sustaining these groups and organisations long term.
  • Supporting to develop administrative and operational skills.
  • Building skills in Applying for and managing government funding.
  • Outlining requirements, record keeping and financial accountability requirements for government grants.

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