Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy

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The Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) is a program funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The IHSS is designed to assist humanitarian entrants build their lives in Australia by providing them with support to meet their initial settlement needs.

The IHSS provides intensive settlement support to newly-arrived humanitarian entrants. The aim of the IHSS is to assist humanitarian entrants achieve self sufficiency in the settlement process through the assessment and delivery of settlement services on a needs basis.

A case-management approach is used to ensure that the special needs of humanitarian entrants are identified and addressed by matching them with services that meet their particular circumstances. The IHSS focuses on helping entrants to gain access to mainstream services such as Centrelink, Medicare, banks, general and specialist health and medical services, English language tuition, training and employment, as well as links to the community.

Upon exiting the IHSS, entrants are referred to on-going settlement services provided through organisations funded under the Settlement Grants Program.

IHSS Fact File

On October 1, 2005 the ACL IHSS Consortium started delivering the IHSS service in the Northern and Southern Sydney Metropolitan Regions of New South Wales. The ACL IHSS Consortium is a partnership between ACL, Resolve FM, STARTTS, and Mission Australia, working together to provide integrated service delivery for the first months of settlement. Each Consortium partner specialises in a particular area of service delivery which is core to the settlement of entrants. The Consortium is committed to providing service delivery that is consistent with IHSS principles. Each Consortium partner plays a vital role at various times in the settlement process.

More information can be obtained on the ACL website.

IHSS Principles

The following IHSS principles form part of the contract between the ACL IHSS Consortium and DIAC and underpin service delivery to IHSS clients:

  • Humanitarian Program Entrants are individuals who have the inherent right to respect for their human worth and dignity
  • Humanitarian Program Entrants are informed and involved in making choices and decisions
  • Services are designed and administered to promote Humanitarian Program Entrants’ competence and to discourage dependency
  • The health and well-being of Humanitarian Program Entrants are protected
  • The best interests of the children are a vital concern
  • The least intrusive and least disruptive option which offers the highest degree of stability and certainty is selected
  • Traditional, cultural and religious values are respected
  • Services and decisions are ethical and Humanitarian Program Entrants are not exploited
  • Services promote participation of Humanitarian Program Entrants in the wider community and their understanding of legal obligations
  • Organisations providing services are accountable to those who use their services and the Australian Government
  • Humanitarian Program Entrants are enabled to access services in a coordinated way which minimizes the gaps and duplication between services received
  • Services are delivered in a manner which is sensitive to the situation of newly-arrived Humanitarian Entrants
  • Services to Humanitarian Program Entrants are delivered to a consistent standard across Australia