ARCHIVED – Case management

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• New for 2024 Call for proposals
• Description
• Locations
• Expected outcomes
• Eligible activities
• Mode of delivery
• Eligible clients
• Eligible applicants for funding
• Organizational and community capacity
• How we assess applications for this service
• References for applicants

Description

Under Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Settlement Program, “Case Management” refers to a client centered, comprehensive approach to Settlement Program service delivery for eligible clients facing persistent multiple barriers to integration. Case Management encompasses a number of activities including: a comprehensive needs and assets assessment and settlement plan supported by coordinated referrals to settlement and community services, regular check-ins and monitoring as well as the provision of personalized and intensive supports, as required, to help facilitate client access to a broad range of services and supports that strengthen client capacity towards greater independence. Case Management services delivered under IRCC’s Settlement Program are required to align with IRCC’s new Case Management Framework.

Case Management services are available to all eligible clients of IRCC-funded settlement services if they are assessed as being eligible. The common referral pathway for all clients to case management service provider organizations is through a Needs and Assets Assessment and Referrals Services (NAARS) assessment. During the NAARS process, a settlement worker will triage the client to determine whether the client is suitable for further Case Management eligibility assessment.

While case management is funded through the Settlement Program, it is recognized that resettled refugees often face the most persistent multiple barriers to integration, requiring significant integration with Resettlement Assistance Program service providers.

To support IRCC’s commitment to build the vitality of Francophone minority communities (FMCs), the Department welcomes applications from Francophone settlement service provider organizations that can demonstrate capacity to welcome newcomers of all linguistic backgrounds (see Locations section below for further information on the communities that are being prioritized).

Indirect Services with a National or Sector Scope

While the vast majority of services delivered under Case Management are direct services to clients, indirect services seek to enhance capacity in the IRCC-funded settlement community to optimize Case Management client outcomes. Indirect supports may include: community engagement and partnerships for local planning and coordination (e.g., employers, community organizations, other levels of government and public institutions); resources and training for Case Management service provider organizations that helps build their capacity to support newcomers with persistent multiple barriers in Canada. Applications for these activities must be submitted through Indirect Services with a National or Sector focus.

Locations

While IRCC is open to applicants seeking to deliver Case Management services in any community across Canada, the Department is prioritizing the funding of service providers to deliver Case Management in all existing and new Resettlement Assistance Program communities being solicited in CFP 2024, as outlined in the Resettlement section of the Funding Guidelines.

Currently, services in Cornwall ON, Winnipeg MB, Bathurst and Edmundston NB are provided by Francophone organizations. For locations (existing and new) where Francophone resettlement providers offer services, priority will be given to applications from Francophone organizations for Case Management service delivery.

Expected outcomes

IRCC expected immediate outcomes, as described in the Settlement Program Logic Model, are written to capture the intended high level result of a service.

In the case of Case Management services, as described in the (Re)Settlement Program Logic Model, the associated immediate outcome is as follows:

• High needs clients have their essential needs met and gain skills to facilitate their own settlement journey.

When describing your Case Management service activities, organizations must clearly outline how they will contribute to this outcome, for example, by informing client pathways through continuous assessment of needs, levels and progress monitoring; developing clients skills and capacity to function in daily life in Canada; meeting clients needs and addressing them by referring clients to other local or settlement supports; and supporting access to community services for clients. See Case Management Framework (Annex D) for the Case Management Logic Model which outlines indicators and specific outcomes for this type of service delivery.

For Case Management services that address indirect supports (Eligible Activity (4)), the associated immediate outcomes is as follows:

• Non-settlement partners improve capacity to provide support to diverse groups of newcomers across all sectors, in large, medium and small communities, including francophone minority communities.

You can specify your alignment with this outcome by describing how the project will support non-settlement partners' capacity to address the variety of needs of Case Management clients in a most effective and inclusive way, and how community engagement and partnerships for local planning and coordination on behalf of Case Management clients will support improved outcomes for newcomers with persistent multiple barriers.

Each eligible Case Management activity listed below is associated with one of the above IRCC expected immediate outcomes. When a Case Management activity is selected in the application, the applicable IRCC expected immediate outcome will automatically populate.

For more information on outcomes please refer to the Outcomes Guidance.

Eligible activities

To be considered for funding, projects must:

1. Include all four core activity sets as outlined below [Activities 1, 2, 3, 4], or
2. Include resources and training [Activity 5], or
3. Include both of the above

Eligible direct activities

Client Services

1. Assessments

• Initial eligibility assessment to determine the client’s eligibility for this service, using the Common Eligibility Criteria found in the Case Management Framework .
• Ongoing assessments, whereby the case worker will follow up with eligible clients at regular intervals (quarterly) to check-in on the wellbeing of the client, determine whether the client has obtained and benefitted from the referrals, update their settlement plan (e.g. needs level) and track progress.
• Exit assessments, to be conducted by the assigned case worker to confirm when eligible clients should be transitioned off Case Management support.

2. Direct supports

• Client Navigation & Coordination: Can include providing orientation to services; working through any issues or life changes that might arise; coordinating and planning of short, medium, and long-term goals; reviewing options to ensure a clear understanding of the settlement plans for each eligible client within the family unit; supporting the navigation of various social structures (e.g., legal, education, health, communities).
• Adapting to Life in Canada: Support provided to eligible clients to assist them in acquiring the specific knowledge and skills required for living independently in their community (e.g. ability to use public transportation, home maintenance such as use of appliances and food storage/safety), connecting with local community and religious organizations. Ensuring clients have the skills necessary to navigate these services on their own.

3. Referrals and client accompaniment

• Referrals: The coordination of referrals to settlement services, as well as other government and broader-based community services based upon client needs. Follow-up is also required to ensure linkages are made between the client and needed services.
• Client Accompaniment: Following referrals, assistance may be provided to clients through direct accompaniment to appointments/services in the community (e.g., related to physical and mental health, education, and housing) that the client is unable to navigate on their own.

4. Indirect Supports – Community engagement with non-sector partners

• Indirect supports may include: community engagement and partnerships for local planning and coordination of available community services (e.g., employers, community organizations, other levels of government and public institutions);
• resources and training for Case Management service provider organizations and their staff that help build their capacity to support newcomers with persistent multiple barriers in Canada.

Applicants for funding should refer to the Case Management Framework for more information on the expected delivery of activities and outcomes.

Mode of delivery

In-person services are prioritized for Case Management, in particular for formal assessments (e.g. initial and exit assessments), and a willingness to travel to meet with clients in-person is expected.

Remote services, specifically remote (online/digital) – staff-led or remote via email/telephone/text, or both types of remote services, may be provided to address client needs when feasible and effective.

Funding applicants will also need to consider who the client audience will be for each of the project activities being proposed in their online application form (more than one audience may be selected per activity):

• For Direct Services: Group, Individual, or Family (or all)
• For Indirect Services: Individual Organizations; Local Non-Settlement Service Delivery Partner(s); Entire Sector or Community or Service Area (or all)

Eligible clients

As per section 3.7 of the Settlement Program Terms and Conditions, only the following persons are eligible to receive these settlement services:

• Permanent residents of Canada;
• Protected persons as defined in Section 95 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA);
• Individuals who have been selected, inside or outside Canada, to become permanent residents (pending verifications) and who have been informed, by a letter from IRCC;
• Convention refugees and protected persons outside Canada who have been selected for resettlement in Canada by IRCC; and
• Temporary foreign workers who hold or received approval of a work permit under section 112 or received initial approval for permanent residence under section 113 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

Additional Information

• Eligible persons include both the principal applicant and eligible dependants (spouse and children).

Eligible applicants for funding

Eligible applicants for funding for settlement services are:

• municipal governments;
• not-for-profit organizations including non-governmental organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups, umbrella organizations, regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities;
• businesses, including those that provide indirect services (e.g., employers hiring newcomers, private language schools, conference organizers, web or production firms for tool development); and
• educational institutions (including school boards, districts and divisions).

Organizational and community capacity

IRCC will be seeking evidence that organizations applying to deliver Case Management services as part of the Settlement Program have the following in place:

• Organizational capacity to deliver upon all four core Case Management activity groups;
• Organizational capacity to offer services to all eligible clients of various linguistic backgrounds, including resettled refugees;
• Demonstrated capacity to access or deliver mental health supports to staff providing Case Management services, or both;
• Headquarters or satellite offices located in the community where they plan to deliver Case Management services.

From a community perspective, IRCC will be seeking to ensure:

• Community capacity to deliver other relevant specialized supports, such as accommodations and accessibility supports for persons with a disability;
• Community capacity to support individuals that face distinct barriers to services (women, 2SLGBTQI Plus, racialized newcomers, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, etc.) or on specific issues (e.g. religious communities; sexual and gender-based violence; mental health).

Mandatory and asset criteria for applications for this service are further defined in the following section.

How we assess applications for this service

Mandatory and asset criteria

All applications

All applications will be assessed according to the CORE criteria

• Client-centered;
• Outcomes-driven;
• Responsive to needs; and
• Effective use of resources

Applications will also be assessed against Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) criteria. More information about the CORE and EDI criteria.

Mandatory criteria

In addition to meeting the CORE and EDI criteria, applicants for this service must:

• Demonstrate capacity to deliver upon all four core Case Management activity groups;
• Demonstrate that they have been established and working in the community providing supports to newcomers for the previous three years;
• Demonstrate having the capacity to provide Case Management services that align with both Official Language requirements, as well the various linguistic backgrounds of clients. Every effort should be made to refer French-speaking clients to Francophone SPOs offering Case Management where possible and when appropriate. Applicants for funding must also demonstrate the availability of multilingual staff or connections to reliable interpretation and translation services in the community in the languages most spoken by Case Management clients, and the willingness and capacity to hire them. In 2022, the languages most spoken by Resettlement clients were Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Tigrinya, and Somali;
• Include a plan to align services with IRCC’s Case Management Framework;
• Have headquarters or satellite offices located in the community where they plan to deliver Case Management services;
• Demonstrate experience working with populations that experience distinct barriers to services, providing Case Management services, Resettlement or Settlement services.

Asset criteria

Proposals demonstrating the following may be prioritized for funding. Applicants for this service should include a description of the following experience or capacity, as applicable:

• Experience working with refugees (ex. Government Assisted Refugees [GARs], Blended Visa Office-Referred [BVOR] Refugees, or Privately Sponsored Refugees [PSRs], or all three);
• Experience in crisis counselling, managing clients/cases with multiple barriers requiring ongoing support and significant interventions;
• Experience coordinating multiple services supporting clients under a wrap-around support model, requiring strong partnerships with both mainstream and settlement providers;
• Cross-sector partnerships, including with Indigenous Peoples and communities, organizations that provide a capacity-building and professional development role within the settlement sector (e.g. Umbrella Organizations), organizations with expertise working with specific populations (e.g. racialized populations) or on specific issues (e.g. advancing substantive gender equality and women’s empowerment).
• Partnerships with organizations that support individuals that face distinct barriers to services (women, 2SLGBTQI+, racialized newcomers, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, etc.) or on specific issues (e.g. religious communities; sexual and gender-based violence; mental health);
• Availability of other relevant specialized supports, such as accommodations and accessibility supports for persons with a disability;
• Are applying to deliver Support Services in CFP 2024; and
• GBA Plus in the design, implementation and evaluation of the project(s). Please refer back to the overview of Funding Guidelines overview for more information on GBA Plus.

References for applicants

• Settlement Program Terms and Conditions
• Case Management Framework
• Other applicant resources