Based on research conducted between February 2020 and March 2021, this joint report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documents serious international human rights violations that immigration detainees, particularly persons with psychosocial disabilities, face in Canada.
Research included interviews with former immigration detainees and their relatives, mental health experts, academics whose research focuses on immigration detention, lawyers, civil society representatives, and government officials. According to researchers, many former immigration detainees continue to live with the effects of psychosocial disabilities they developed during incarceration, months and even years after their release from detention. Immigration detention also has long-term consequences that ripple beyond immigration detainees and affect their children, loved ones, and communities.
Researchers acknowledge that the Canadian government has introduced new policies, guidelines, and regulatory reforms in response to litigation and advocacy efforts around immigration detention. However, this approach has largely failed to address the deeply embedded structural gaps that disproportionally affect persons with psychosocial disabilities in immigration detention. Canada’s treatment of individuals with mental healthconditions in immigration detention is discriminatory and in breach of Canada’s obligations under international human rights law.
Key Recommendations to the Government of Canada
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/Immigration-Detention-in-Canada-and-its-Impact-on-Mental-Health-2021.pdf" title="Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health (2021)"]
In this document, the authors address the need for all social work educators to have some basic understanding and competence in the use of technology and its impact on the field.
In 2017, a new publication, Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice, was issued to address the intersections of professional social work practice and technology. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), along with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), and the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA) cosigned the Standards, developed by a committee of primarily social work practitioners.
Standard 4.0 specifically addresses social work education and the role of educators and supervisors in maintaining professional standards related to technology-mediated practice and educational settings. Discussions with educators revealed a need for broader consideration. The purpose of this document is to shift interpretations of the Standards from a mostly risk-averse and micro-practice focus to a perspective that also acknowledges the potential strengths of technology in micro to macro levels of practice and social work education, supervision, and continuing education.
The document provides interpretations for Social Work educators of these specific Standards:
Standard 4.01: Use of Technology in Social Work Education
Standard 4.02: Training Social Workers about the Use of Technology in Practice
Standard 4.03: Continuing Education
Standard 4.04: Social Media Policies
Standard 4.05: Evaluation
Standard 4.06: Technological Disruptions
Standard 4.07: Distance Education
Standard 4.08: Support
Standard 4.09: Maintenance of Academic Standards
Standard 4.10: Educator-Student Boundaries
Standard 4.11: Field Instruction
Standard 4.12: Social Work Supervision
Abstract
This article examines trends in the admission and labour market outcomes of economic immigrant principal applicants who intended to work in skilled trades.
Findings
The admission of skilled trades immigrants increased rapidly in the late 2000s and early 2010s, as the immigration selection system responded to an apparent increase in demand for skilled tradespeople at that time. Skilled trades immigrants had a substantially higher incidence of employment than other economic immigrant principal applicants in the initial years after admission. In the longer term, their employment advantage remained but was reduced for skilled trades immigrant men. Over time, the advantage disappeared for women.
Skilled trades immigrants had a much slower earnings growth after admission than other economic immigrants. The factors affecting earnings were somewhat different for skilled trades immigrants. Notably, the positive effects on earnings of holding a university degree, having a greater proficiency in an official language and having pre-admission Canadian work experience were much weaker among skilled trades immigrants than among other economic immigrants.
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/The-labour-market-outcomes-of-economic-immigrants-in-the-skilled-trades-2021.pdf" title="The labour market outcomes of economic immigrants in the skilled trades (2021)"]
This study focuses on the current state of funded ESL programming in Canada that interconnects with adult education for the economy and its relevance to supporting the integration and long-term settlement of adult Newcomers (Permanent Residents and Refugees).
This report applies the theoretical perspective of critical theory as a foundational viewpoint and the lens of social justice combined with the concept of global citizenship to look at the inequalities that exist for newcomers within the dominant ideologies that influence the current ESL curricula in Canada. Ideas and solutions to incorporate transformative learning into ESL curriculum that considers newcomer needs and perspectives are examined in a critical literature review.
Although newcomers arrive in Canada every year, systemic barriers and inadequate knowledge of social socio-political and labour market systems affect the successful integration of permanent residents and refugees into Canadian communities and life in Canada. Even though newcomers study English as a second language (ESL) for settlement and employment purposes, many find the language training inadequately prepares them for work and job retention since the ESL classes may not take into consideration student’s prior learning, transferable skills, or individual needs and goals.
In her years of work in teaching and administration with newcomer immigrants, refugees, and service providing organizations, the author has become increasingly interested in ways to incorporate transformative learning, social awareness, and employment training into my institution’s current ESL curriculum. The aim is to shift the approach from settlement to integrating permanent residents and refugees, to facilitate in the development of active citizenship and employed individuals in Canadian society.
Key findings
The key findings of the research demonstrate how ESL programming that focuses primarily on settlement tasks is not effective in addressing the necessary language components that relate to employment, which are needed to integrate skilled newcomers and refugees into the labour market. The research provides insight into different approaches and models of instruction that could be incorporated to develop content that is more relevant and useful to the current demographic of skilled newcomers and refugees.
The literature findings indicate the need for ESL programming to incorporate more relevant content that offers a greater emphasis on teaching the necessary strategic competencies, critical awareness, and socio-linguistic knowledge needed to navigate the challenges of intercultural communication in workplaces and communities.
The literature suggests that current neo-corporatist immigration is largely driven to fill employment gaps across Canada, and this necessity for skilled workers then further propels the need for ESL programming that is relevant and aligned to current immigrant policies and trends. However, the findings speculate that the current CLB theoretical framework for ESL programming has largely been used to inform language instruction that supports language outcomes related to daily routines and for immigrants to obtain citizenship.
While ESL is a tool to facilitate the integration process, it does not consider the systemic barriers that newcomers face, and the need for them to develop a sense of agency. The author proposes a student-centred approach to ESL curricula that focuses on the individual’s strengths and looks to provide the learner with the resources and insight to navigate their new social surroundings.
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/A-Critical-Literature-Review-on-English-as-a-Second-Language-ESL-Provision-for-Newcomers-Including-Global-Citizenship-Perspectives-2021.pdf" title="A Critical Literature Review on English as a Second Language (ESL) Provision for Newcomers, Including Global Citizenship Perspectives (2021)"]
In this report the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) defines a climate refugee as “Persons or roups of persons who, for reasons of sudden or progressive climate-related change in the environment that adversely affects their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their homes either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.”
They advocate for the development of a new legal framework for the protection of climate refugees that recognize climate-induced displacement and protects those displaced by weather-related hazards (estimated at over 21 million people per year).
Conclusions
"The international legal framework as it stands is not fit for the humanitarian challenge of climate refugees. Given the historic injustice at the heart of the climate crisis, whereby those affected first and worst by climate breakdown are most often those with the least historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, it is morally imperative and critically important to the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the international community urgently work together to protect climate refugees by... developing protections for those already affected by the climate crisis."
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/No-shelter-from-the-storm-the-urgent-need-to-recognise-and-protect-climate-refugees-2021.pdf" title="No shelter from the storm - the urgent need to recognise and protect climate refugees (2021)"]
As part of a project to work with small and medium employers to help them understand the benefits of hiring Newcomer and Racialized workers, ACCES Employment surveyed past program participants with an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) survey about their thoughts, experiences and recommendations, particularly around employment issues pertaining to racial and gender discrimination. They received 143 responses, the majority of which were from individuals who identify as Black or Asian (including South Asian, Southeast Asian and East Asian).
Their analysis of the data sheds light on many of the challenges racialized and newcomer employees face while navigating employment. Their goal, through their Diversity in Canadian Workplaces Initiative is to formulate broad solutions and suggestions to target specific systemic barriers and increase the positive experiences of inclusivity in the workplace.
Specific challenges identified and expanded upon in the report:
ACCES is developing EDI training modules and sessions for their employer network. As well, a future whitepaper "will review the development, facilitation and observations of the three training modules centred around equitable recruitment, retention and inclusive leadership, and career progression and succession planning to offer solutions going forward."
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/Finding-Employment_Barriers-and-Challenges-for-Newcomers-and-Racialized-Individuals-Final-2021.pdf" title="Finding-Employment_Barriers-and-Challenges-for-Newcomers-and-Racialized-Individuals-Final (2021)"]
Executive Summary
The Community Knowledge Program began as an initiative to build capacity for research and knowledge mobilization within immigrant and refugee-serving agencies in the GTA, in order to improve settlement services for newcomers to Canada. To this end, Wellesley Institute has conducted a needs assessment to understand current capacity and skills, as well as existing initiatives and any gaps in knowledge, in community-based research and knowledge mobilization in the sector.
The past few years have been a time of great change in migration research and for the immigrant and refugee-serving sector in the GTA. This needs assessment was conducted in an attempt to understand the impact of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS), the effects of COVID-19 on research and knowledge mobilization, and to see how research in the field at Toronto’s largest universities is influencing policy and front-line settlement programs and services.
This report is the result of collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data from over 80 people in the sector. Methods for data collection included key informant interviews, an online survey, and a focus group. Respondents were policymakers and public servants, academic and community researchers, sectoral leaders, and agency management and front-line staff in the immigrant and refugee-serving sector.
Key findings
Timely research and knowledge mobilization are critical
Researchers are at work studying migration, settlement, and integration at all three major universities in Toronto, and at community organizations and umbrella groups as well. However, findings often do not influence practice in a timely manner, if at all. The rapid changes to the sector due to COVID-19 have led to shifts in best practices for delivering settlement services, and practitioners need clear, curated information that is relevant to their work.
Numerous challenges exist
Structural issues were revealed in how research and knowledge mobilization are conducted in the sector. These included funding models; lack of centralized resources for information and discussion about current research; and lack of institutionalized, long-term, mutually respectful relationships between researchers and service providers.
There are ways to close the gaps
Analysis of the data revealed several ways to improve coordination of research, practice, and policy in migration, settlement, and integration. These included creating opportunities to foster collaboration and co-creation for research across the sector, such as by holding events for learning and networking. Developing a centralized online portal or hub for discussion and sharing of resources was suggested as well, along with training front-line workers in research skills, and curating and sharing lists of research reports.
Webinar presentation
The first part of the video focuses on these research findings, and what they show about the current state of research in the sector. The rest of the video explores research partnerships, particularly those between academic researchers and community groups, and consider how such partnerships can address issues of racism and other forms of oppression through equitable sharing of power.
What is this research about?
This scan provides a snapshot of the use of digital messaging in direct service delivery by Canadian Immigrant and Refugee-serving organizations. The goal of the national environmental scan was to develop a comprehensive picture and greater understanding of the use of digital technology for settlement information delivery in Canada, including trends, challenges, risks and promising practices. The scan was a baseline for the DMSI project. It provided data to measure and compare in the long term frame of the project.
What do you need to know?
This scan predates the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a useful baseline of where the sector was when it comes to digital literacy, in particular, the use of smartphones and digital messaging in client service delivery.
What did the researchers do?
A mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect data.
Phone interviews were conducted with 28 people in 24 interviews (some agencies had multiple representatives in an interview). Two in-person focus groups were run in Toronto, one with 15 front-line workers, and one with 3 managers. Interviewees represented a variety of Settlement sector agencies, from mid-sized to large, urban and rural, front-line workers and management, from cities across the country (Fredericton, Halifax, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver). Representatives also included academics (2), government representatives (2 federal, one provincial) and civic tech sector representatives (4).
More than 90 articles were included in a literature review. They range from peer-reviewed articles to funder reports and unpublished grey literature.
A national survey was conducted. 332 surveys were completed. Frontline workers made up 52.4% of survey respondents. Those in management and leadership made up 47.6% or survey respondents. 96.51% (N=249) of survey respondents indicated that they are IRCC funded.
What did the researchers find?
This environmental scan provides a snapshot of the the current use of digital messaging among immigrant and refugee-serving organizations. It is clear that digital technology, including but also beyond digital messaging, is being used by agencies in direct client service delivery. It has brought increased client access to services and information, created service efficiencies and is an effective method of service delivery.
Throughout this scan consistent themes emerged in the literature review, interviews/focus groups and survey data:
How can you use this research?
This scan can be useful to researchers looking at the digital messaging ecosystem post-pandemic. In particular, much has been learned and additional research done since this research was conducted. There is interest from all parties in the sector to engage in a collaborative knowledge sharing process. Much in previous research also provides a framework to create this process. There is no need to reinvent an approach, but to look at what has already been recommended for inspiration.
Creating information products and services for newcomers, especially vulnerable newcomers (not only refugees) requires a similar rigour as creating in-person services. Research suggests a fairly common set of practices and approaches any digital messaging or technology for service delivery project should follow. Service providers can use this and other recent research to continue making the business case for technology investments as operational necessities in client service work.
Downloads:
Recommendations for Fair and Empowering Jobs
[pdf-embedder url="https://km4s.ca/wp-content/uploads/Valued-Workers-Valuable-Work-The-Current-and-Future-Role-of-Immigrant-Talent-2021.pdf" title="Valued Workers, Valuable Work - The Current and Future Role of (Im)migrant Talent (2021)"]
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