Support Services

In addition to the five major program components, clients have access to support services. This program component, which acts as an “enabler” to support participation in IRCC-funded settlement services, includes services for care and supervision of children of IRCC Settlement Program clients. Note that in British Columbia, childcare and childminding services are governed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Child Care Licensing Regulation, including unlicensed childminding that is exempt from license as defined by the same Act. Care provisions funded by IRCC will be required to follow the act and regulation.

Support Services also include accommodation for clients with disabilities; assistance with transportation to settlement programs; translation and interpretation services (for example, of documents from country of origin) and short-term or “transitional” settlement-related crisis counselling services which can deal with immediate barriers to the uptake of settlement programming due to personal or family crises, including the referral of newcomers to more targeted, publicly available services.