1. Bridging Settlement and
Employment:
WoodGreen’s Client-Centred,
Team-Focused Delivery Model
Ruichun Tang and Eric Weir
WoodGreen Community Services
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2. Goal
• Stimulate learning and new ideas about
settlement-employment program
integration and related case management.
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3. Agenda
Warm-Up Exercise
I) Our Integrated Case Management Model: Step
by Step from Start to Finish
Break (15 minutes)
II) Our Methods: How WoodGreen Successfully
Integrates Settlement and Employment
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4. Warm Up Exercise:
Remembering Names
• Pick one or more of the methods we’ve outlined
for you.
• Take 5 minutes to quickly go around the room,
introduce yourself and memorize as many names
as you can.
PS There’s no quiz at the end!
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5. Introducing WoodGreen
Community Services
• Location: East Toronto and East York, Ontario
• Website: woodgreen.org
• History: Began in 1937 as a small community
neighbourhood social-recreational program in
South Riverdale, Toronto.
• Currently 9 units, 20 locations, 500 staff, 1700
volunteers/57,000 volunteer hours (2008)
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6. Introducing WoodGreen
Community Services
• Mission: Deliver services that promote wellness
and self-sufficiency, reduce poverty and
inequality and build sustainable communities.
• Philosophy: Everyone deserves the essentials of life.
We support more than 37,000 individuals and
families to become more self-sufficient and live
independently within their own communities.
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7. WoodGreen’s Portfolio of Integrated Community
Services – Providing Essentials
• Immigrant Services – Helping immigrants,
newcomers and refugees settle/integrate into Toronto
• Employment Services – For youth, adults and
employers
• Neighbourhood Programs – Building healthy
neighbourhoods
• Homeward Bound – Helping women and children
achieve economic self-sufficiency
• Housing/Homelessness Services – Providing
affordable and safe housing solutions
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8. WoodGreen’s Portfolio of Integrated Community
Services – Providing Essentials
• Mental Health and Developmental Services –
Support for adults with mental health challenges,
developmental services for adults with intellectual
disabilities
• Volunteer Services – Linking supportive community
members with our staff and clients
• Childcare Services – Early learning and childcare
programs
• Seniors Services – Community care and wellness for
seniors
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9.
Overview of Immigration Trends
• Demographic change in source countries
• Ratio of economic class immigrants vs. family
class immigrants
• Education level (economic class vs. family class)
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10. Recent Immigrants are
Better Educated
• 86% of immigrants have at least 10 years of
education.
• 50% of recent immigrants to this country hold
university degrees
• 22% of family class immigrants have a
undergraduate degree. 6% have graduate degree.
(Source: Statistics Canada)
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11.
Top 3 Challenges
Reported by Newcomers
• Language difficulties
• Employment
• Navigating the system
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12. Support Required by Newcomers :
• Language support
• Financial support
• Informational support
• Employment support
• Emotional and social support
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13. To Meet their Needs:
• Relatives and friends = main source of
help.
• Internet - information in various languages
• Ethno-cultural organizations, ethnic
newspapers
• Social services, public library, churches and
community centres provide sense of
community.
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14. What are the Challenges for
Settlement Work?
• Basic services are not enough.
• In-depth counselling/services are needed.
• What newcomers want:
 Specialization-based services
 Ethno-specific counselling
 Para-professional counselling
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15. Specializations:
• Small business
• Immigration/sponsorship/citizenship
• Family and children
• Children with special needs
• Paralegal
• Worker protection (employment standards,
workers rights, EI, WSIB etc.)
• Education/employment and training
• Seniors 15

16. a case management model
accountability at all levels
one-stop and satellite
services model
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17. Our Immigrant Services Programs –
WoodGreen “OneStop”
Provides professional and friendly services to help new
immigrants:
• Learn about Canadian society
• Connect with housing, child care, schools, language
classes and many other services
• Find jobs that provide income and professional career
opportunities
• Make friends with other new immigrants and local
citizens
• Build confidence and a sense of belonging to Canada
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18. Our Immigrant Services Programs –
WoodGreen “OneStop”
• Settlement Services, Newcomer Youth
Services, Youth JSW and HOST programs.
HOST = English Conversation Circles,
mentor matches, networking groups.
• Enhanced Language Training (ELT)
program – Sector-specific English language
classes, case counselling, job development,
workshops.
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19. Our Immigrant Services Programs –
WoodGreen “OneStop”
• LINC Classes – Including LINC for
Employment, Talk English, advanced
conversation/pronunciation training
• Job Search Coaching Services and JSW
Program
• Referrals to employment services, other
service units listed in previous slides,
external agencies
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20. Client
Settlement
Counsellor
(Intake)
ELT Case ,Based on client's needs and eligibility
Counsellor referred to following
ELT class Employment
(Mandatory) Support HOST
(Mandatory)
ISAP LINC
specialization
Newcomer NSP Youth class
/case
External volunteer and/or Case Settlement management
program Managemen
Resources
t
Job Search
Workshop
Job Search ((JSW
Job Coaching
Newcomer Chinese Young WG other
Development services e.g. External
Social and Workers Muslim Resource
Employment
Recreation Support Women Services, Senior s
Program network Group Services
WoodGreen
Employment
services 20

21. Follow Up with Clients
• Staff call/email to follow up with the clients
• Volunteers assist counsellors to make calls
• Ask clients to call/email to update counsellors
• Send clients newsletters, monthly activity lists
• Email clients about employment-related
workshops/job fairs
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22. 22

23. Satellite Offices
• Build partnership with other agencies that
don’t provide settlement services.
• Turn ourselves into a satellite office from other
agencies.
• Services are delivered to the high needs
newcomer groups.
• Staff are equipped with basic office necessities
• Full services provided based on clients/group
needs.
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24. Client Centred:
• Centred around, driven by newcomer client -
respecting their choices, cultures and values.
• Client individual needs identified, determine how
best to provide assistance.
• Inform and educate clients to make own decisions
• Respect and value newcomer role in settlement
process
• Encourage them to use community, employment
resources.
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25. Accountability at All Levels:
• At the client level
• At the service provider level
• At the systems level
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26. Built on Strong Partnerships
• Community legal • Canada Border
services Services
• Community health • Toronto Police
centres Services
• Colleges, universities • Enterprise Toronto
• Libraries • Toronto District
• Employers School Board
• Ontario Early Years • Corporations, such as
Centres TD-Canada Trust
• Assessment Centres • Other community
agencies 26

27.
The Client-Centred Case
Management Practice:
• Clients with complex needs receive the right
services at the right time by the right person.
• Empowers clients, promotes quality of life.
• Facilitates and coordinates access to, delivery
of appropriate services for newcomers.
• Balances achievement of client goals with
effective use of available resources.
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28. Best Practices - Language
• Offer language program from literacy > professional
• Talk English and conversation circles (HOST Program)
• Hire staff who speak different languages
• Try to place newcomers with counsellors who speak the
same mother tongue
• Clients can choose to talk to other staff in English
• Workshops conducted in different languages
• Generic flyer outlines that we offer our services in
different languages
• Volunteer interpreters available for clients who attend
workshops in English
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29. Best Practices - Employment
• Offer variety of employment assistance
programs such as JSW, Job Search
Coaching Services, ELT programs.
• Experienced Workers Club, networking,
employment forum held monthly.
• Chinese Worker’s Network: Employment-
related issues
• Newsletters inform clients of policy
changes related to EI, employment
standards, labour market trends. 29

30. Best Practices - Navigating the System
• Conduct individual workshops on OHIP,
education, employment training, income
security, Ontario Works, EI benefits,
Second Career Training, accreditation etc.
• Invite guest speakers/experts to deliver
workshops
• Take clients on trips, help connect to
Canadian cultures/events (e.g., Doors
Open Toronto)
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31. Best Practices in Program Delivery
• Client Tracking Management System
(CTMS) is being used to track program
outcomes and to get client profile, service
profile.
• Childcare and TTC tokens provided for
clients attending LINC program, Job Search
Workshops and other workshops.
• Evaluation forms available for clients who
come to appointments and workshops.
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32. Best Practices in Program Delivery
• Complaint policy available, visible
• Follow-up with clients
• Soft skills training in assertive
communication, cultural differences,
workplace culture
• Networks where clients play a key role
• Newcomer volunteer program help clients
gain knowledge about workplace culture,
improve English 32

33. Break
15 minutes
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34. Case Management:
Group Discussion
• What are the tough issues and barriers
facing all of us in our work with
newcomers when providing assistance to
settlement clients with employment
needs?
• Open discussion: Brainstorming solutions
together and moving forward
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35. Our Methods: Summary
1. Client-Centred Case Management
2. Team Identity
3. Cross-Cultural Team Building
4. Cross-Program Collaborations
5. Team Autonomy
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36. Our Methods:
Client-Centred Case Management
• We never turn away a client, regardless of
funder eligibility.
• Provide service and/or appropriate
information/referral. No more aimless
searching.
• Provide easy access to full range of internal
and external services under one well-
integrated hub.
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37. Our Methods:
Client-Centred Case Management
• Successful case management process
balances client self-initiative/self-
determination with periodic caring follow-
up procedures by phone, email.
• Self-initiative/self-determination = Guide,
teach, facilitate.
• Aim to never do for the client what the
client could do on one’s own.
• Offer practical and emotional support until
client succeeds. 37

38. Our Methods: Team Identity
• “Who’s on my team?” Team identity is multi-
layered, not limited to smaller team group only.
• WoodGreen-wide, unit-wide, services sub-unit
(employment supports, settlement services and
English language services) and individual
program teams. Also counselling, support staff
and management teams.
• Full participation and input is welcomed from all
team members including support staff and
volunteers. Support staff play key roles, treated
as equals.
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39. Our Methods: Team Identity
• Teamwork is assumed rather than merely
encouraged, and “realized” rather than merely
spoken about.
• Not just in name/title but an actual day-to-day
experience of team building throughout the
entire unit (65 staff including 17 part-time LINC
instructors).
Example: Joint Meetings
• We held 2 or 3 informal joint meetings to
increase collaboration among the larger team.
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40. Our Methods:
Cross-Cultural Team Building
• Build, maintain great team atmosphere:
Professionalism, gentle humour, cultural appreciation,
strong and consistent goodwill.
• Welcome cultural diversity and constructively
acknowledge and address differences.
• Genuine cross-cultural interest and respect/fascination.
• Staff speak a total of 23 different languages from
around the globe.
Examples:
Great team building activities including seasonal parties,
lunches, potlucks, food. Everyday casual conversations.
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41. Our Methods:
Cross-Program Collaborations
• Encourage/designate staff from different
settlement counselling and employment supports
programs to collaborate
• Staff who work together are much more likely to
make trusted referrals back and forth. This is how
professional rapport is built, and how staff truly get
to know each other.
• Whereas staff who have never worked together are
highly unlikely to refer clients to each other or to
ever have a clear understanding of each other’s
programs. 41

42. Our Methods:
Cross-Program Collaborations
• Just sharing calendars/info. is not enough. People are
too busy and concerned with meeting their own
numbers/program goals, even within the same
unit/agency.
Examples:
• Planning and facilitating workshops and special events
together and marketing our Immigrant Services unit,
other WoodGreen programs.
• “Panel Review: Turbo-Charge Your Job Search!” (Job
Search Coaching Services, JSW and ELT programs) –
see copy in handouts.
• This workshop 42

43. Our Methods: Team Autonomy
• Management encourages settlement-
employment integration: Not imposed but
rather allowed and sometimes suggested.
• Staff are self-directed and self-motivated,
autonomous, given room to breathe and move,
try new things out without fear of failure.
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44. Our Methods:
Small Group Discussions
1. Which of the 5 methods presented (client-centred
case management, team identity, cross-cultural team
building, cross-program collaborations and team
autonomy) could you apply to programs at your
agency? What obstacles might you have to overcome
before succeeding? How would you make it happen?
3. What other integration methods not mentioned so far
would you recommend to WoodGreen and other
agencies represented here?
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