What is SWIS?
The Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Program provides comprehensive settlement support to all immigrant and refugee students and families to ensure a smooth transition and successful integration into the school and wider community. The SWIS worker also connects students and families with resources in their schools and communities.
What does SWIS do?
Settlement Help:
The SWIS team provides newcomer families with information to help them get settled faster. They also refer new families to more specialized community resources as needed.
Education Help:
The SWIS team works in partnership with schools, teachers, and parents to meet the needs of students, and for families to better understand their new school.
Cultural Understanding:
The SWIS team helps build bridges of cultural understanding between newcomer families and schools. The SWIS team collectively prepares workshops for both parents, students, and teachers.
Our commitment in your settlement journey
DBNC has 10 SWIS workers who speak 18 different languages and serve 27 Schools, 2 Newcomer Resource Assessment Centres (NRAC) and 14 Itinerant Schools in the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) and Peel District School Board (PDSB).
DBNC’s SWIS staff have extensive expertise in settlement counselling. Many programs and activities are held within the schools to engage newcomer students.
We are committed to support you in your journey to make yours and your children’s future bright and prosperous.
Language Support Services
The following Language Support Services are available through the SWIS workers’ native languages and interpretation services if necessary. The current DBNC SWIS workers are able to serve in:
| English | Arabic | Cantonese | Dari | Farsi | French |
| Gujarati | Mandarin | Hiligaynon (Filipino) | Hindi | Pashto | Persian |
| Punjabi | Polish | Russian | Spanish | Tagalog | Ukrainian |
