Understanding settlement services literacy and the provision of settlement services for humanitarian migrants in Australia : a service provider perspective

Over the past 40 years, successive Australian Governments have developed a comprehensive programme of settlement services (SS) designed to improve settlement outcomes for humanitarian migrants. Many humanitarian migrants do not arrive with the appropriate skills and abilities to fully benefit from available SS. “Settlement services literacy” (SSL) has been proposed as a framework to contextualise factors that may enable or constrain humanitarian migrants' utilisation of SS. The aim of this study was to investigate the provision of SS in relation to SSL, that is humanitarian migrants' ability to effectively access information and services, to critically assess services, and to politically mobilise and effect change. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 service providers representing 19 organisations in Greater Western Sydney (n = 8) and Melbourne (n = 11). The study found that SS programmes address many of the indicators that promote SSL acquisition. However, this is not achieved systematically, nor do the programmes reflect all indicators across the three SSL levels. This study provides new insights into various factors impacting the effectiveness of SS provision and SSL acquisition. These insights can inform future programme policy reforms and contribute to more effective and responsive service systems that meet the diverse and complex needs of humanitarian migrants.