Peel Newcomer Strategy Group worked with members of its Service Delivery Network (SDN) table and other stakeholders to develop a report on the role of the settlement sector in supporting mental health for newcomers — a strategic priority.
The report synthesizes stakeholder insights, including short-term counsellors from Peel’s settlement sector, and identifies key issues related to settlement service delivery and the mental health needs of clients. It highlights innovations and opportunities for greater connection among various service providers.
NEWCOMER MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS REPORT
The intended audience for this report includes settlement agencies and related community services, including mainstream mental health providers as well as funding and government policy entities at various levels.
On February 02, 2023, PNSG organized a forum on newcomer mental health, “Finding Bridges Between Settlement and Mental Health Service Providers to Support Newcomers”. The forum included 83 frontline and manager participants from settlement, mental health and other key agencies in Peel region. During the forum, the draft version of PNSG’s report – Newcomer Mental Health and Wellness Through a Settlement Sector Lens – was shared. Participants came together to provide recommendations and discuss possible next steps. Following this, the final report was officially released in June 2023.
The forum keynote was Melanie Bailey, Program Manager of Provincial Immigration Partnership at Immigrant and Refugee Services Association (IRSA), Prince Edward Island. She spoke about how her team used PNSG’s 2020 report findings to foster change in PEI towards greater mental health supports for newcomers. Watch her keynote address below:
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FORUM FOR NEWCOMER YOUTH MENTAL WELLNESS IN PEEL
On November 27, 2023, a community learning event – Collaborative Learning Forum for Newcomer Youth Mental Wellness in Peel – was held in Mississauga. It brought together agencies that serve newcomers, healthcare organizations, child and youth mental health providers, school board members and post-secondary institutions. The purpose was to identify cross-sectoral connections to help build a network of mental health and wellness supports for newcomer youth, young adults, and international students (ages 16-29).
The following report details the forum’s evaluation, conducted by the Peel Institute of Research and Training (PIRT). The evaluation involved (a) a pre- and post-survey; and (b) an analysis of key themes from the day.
Header image credit: Allen McGregor from Brampton, Canada, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons