SEPT is a partnership of Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board and Toronto Public Library. Catholic Crosscultural Services is one of the lead agencies in Scarborough. Settlement Workers are based in more than 40 Scarborough Schools providing settlement services in over 17 languages

Settlement Workers (SW) support families who have arrived in Canada in the past few years by facilitating their settlement process in Canada. SWs work in both High Schools and Elementary Schools. In High Schools SWs assist (newcomer) students and their families whereas in Elementary Schools SWs work primarily with (newcomer) Parents.

SWs connect with (newcomer) students and families upon registration at schools. After a detailed, informal assessment of your needs, we provide information and connect you to resources in the school and in the community. We also enhance communication between you and the school staff. We also arrange informative group sessions to help you enhance your understanding of various aspects of settling in Canada. We encourage you to attend these sessions as they are excellent opportunities for learning and getting to know other people in your community.

Some examples of how we may help students and parents in school:

Are you a high school student? Are you new to Canada? You may be eligible for the NOW (Newcomer Orientation Week) program to get a head start on High School Life.

For Students, we can provide information about:

• Understanding the Ontario Education System
• Free government and community resources including housing, health, legal issues, financial issues, etc.
• Connecting with resources in school such as staff, student council, clubs etc.
• Improving your English (e.g joining ESL Clubs at school)
• Summer and Year Round Employment
• Volunteering Opportunities
• Tutoring & any other issues you may need help with
• Accessing Public Library and Parks and Recreational Services
• Personal Issues and more

For Parents, we can provide information about:

• Understanding the Ontario Education System
• Free government and community resources including housing, health, legal issues, financial issues, employment, volunteering, etc.
• Applying for (SIN) Social Insurance Number, (PR) Permanent Resident Card, (OHIP) Ontario Health Insurance Plan
• Communicating with the school to better support their children to succeed
• Finding Employment
• ESL (English as a Second Language) courses or LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada)
• Communicating with the school to better help your children succeed
• Filing Taxes, Child Tax Benefits
• Locating daycares or other children’s programs and Applying for subsidized daycare
• Family Issues and much more

Locations offered:

• September to June
  Select Scarborough schools run by
  Toronto District School Board
  Toronto Catholic District School Board
  
• July to August
  Public Libraries (All district and some branch libraries ) run by Toronto Public Library.

For more information, please contact SEPT Settlement Coordinator Scarborough Cluster at (416) 757-7010 ext 207 or (647) 296-0232.