Settlement Services +
Social Enterprises
Settlement agencies and social enterprises have much to gain from working with each other, as do the many refugees and migrants that they both support. Find out about different social enterprises that support refugees and migrants, and how to connect with them below.
Benefits for social enterprises
- Expanded capacity to increase number of referrals to social enterprise
- Settlement agencies, through their ongoing work with clients and communities, are well placed to ‘screen’ and identify candidates who are appropriate, and refer them
- Settlement agencies have an expansive knowledge of and expertise in providing and connecting wrap-around services
- Expand reach and impact of social enterprises
Benefits for settlement services
- Opportunity to enhance settlement outcomes through facilitating greater community linkages and employment opportunities
- Creates opportunities for settlement services to refer clients to local businesses and programs that can meet their needs, interests and skills
- Develop local links with organisations to foster strong relationships and potential collaborations
- Extend outreach of wrap around service support
- The ability to reach individuals or communities who they may have not previously engaged with
Find a social enterprise that works with refugees and migrants near you
In referring a client to a social enterprise, keep the following in mind:
- If you are going to have lots of clients over time who might be referred, reach out to the social enterprise and ask what they are specifically looking for in participants.
- What is the client’s suitability to engage with the social enterprise? Do they have appropriate interests and skills where necessary?
- Is it practical for the client to engage with the social enterprise – do they have appropriate transport options, or access to childcare for example?
Download a list of social enterprises here.
What is a social enterprise?
Social enterprises are organisations that operate with a purpose. They are defined as organisations that:
- are led by an economic, social, cultural, or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit
- trade to fulfil their mission
- derive a substantial portion of their income from trade, and
- reinvest the majority of their profit or surplus in the fulfilment of their mission
Many social enterprises operate with the purpose of supporting refugees and new migrants, for example by linking them with employment and training opportunities, or directly hiring them to manufacture or roll out their goods or services. Many social enterprises that work with refugees and migrants also provide significant wrap-around support by working with individual clients to support their needs. Wrap around support may include activities such as transportation to the workplace, pre-employment and ongoing training and professional development, mentoring opportunities, and the provision other settlement information where possible.
Partnerships and referrals with and from settlement agencies have the capacity to benefit individual clients, social enterprises, and the settlement sector.
“Mantua is not just a job it’s a family. I come here and forget all my worries, we don’t know where the time goes”
His family has been farming the beans for many generations. He began importing his beans to Australia and needed support to build a structure around his business and develop a business model. His business went through challenging times as he changed partners and investors. Ignite Enterprise Facilitators (EFs) networked him to their resource team accountant who provided expert advice and his company is now back on track. With new partners and investors the business is now doing well and expanding.