scoa maia

Settlement services have a significant positive role to play in supporting diaspora communities as they establish their life in Australia. In this submission, SCoA identifies what positive settlement outcomes are, the role of settlement agencies in facilitating these outcomes specifically with regard to diaspora communities, and some of the barriers to providing this support.

The issue of family, domestic and sexual violence and its impact on people from refugee and migrant backgrounds has been thoroughly explored across the sector, including by organisations such as the Harmony Alliance, AWAVA, ANROWS, FECCA and others. SCoA draws on existing work by these organisations, as well as our own consultations and other feedback from our members to inform this submission.

A recent Statistics Canada study reveals that immigrants in Canada have higher levels of concern about their own health than Canadian-born individuals;  that immigrants are more likely to be concerned about civil disorder, social ties and the ability to cooperate; and that it is immigrant men who are more likely to report that the crisis would have an impact on their finances.

view the report here: https://www.ssi.org.au/images/Signature_Foundations_Report_withlink.pdf 

View SCoA’s 2019-2020 highlights here

There is increasing interest in reaching migrant and refugee women experiencing family violence through settlement and multicultural services. This is because evidence suggests that women who have resettled in Australia face a range of particular and additional barriers that can hinder access to violence-specific services.

Based on all the feedback we have received from members, including through our recent consultations, SCoA has made a submission to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19.