Embedded Files
Here, you will find resources for newcomer families, educators working with newcomer students and SWIS.
Here, you will find resources for newcomer families, educators working with newcomer students and SWIS.
If your organization has a resource you would like added to this page, or if you know of a resource that should be added, please send it to ofinnamore@araisa.ca.
De-escalation Resources
De-escalation Resources
De-Escalation Strategies Teachers Can Use in Their Classroom by Matt Homrich-Knieling
“Conflict is an unavoidable reality of teaching. [...] Once school leaders and educators accept this reality, the question isn’t how can we avoid conflict? but instead how can we respond to conflict?”
Strategies for De-escalating Student Behavior in the Classroom by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)
“This practice brief provides practical, research-based strategies educators can use to de-escalate challenging student behavior in the classroom.”
De-escalation Strategies for Teachers from a Trauma-Informed Lens by Julie Kuntz
“Our “De-escalation Strategies from a Trauma-Informed Lens” graphic provides educators with information about the brain science behind de-escalation, along with bite-sized tips for supporting a dysregulated student in crisis.”
A Trauma-Informed Approach to De‑escalation by the Crisis Prevention Institute
“Trauma-informed care provides educators with a framework to help them understand and appropriately respond to the various ways in which trauma can impact a student’s behavior. By understanding what trauma-induced behavior is communicating, educators can support students and address challenging situations in positive ways and keep situations from escalating.”
3 Essential Steps to Trauma-Informed De-escalation by the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI)
“When we know the reasons behind someone’s anger, we can respond with tools and skills that prioritize safety, respect individual choice, and highlight strengths.”
7 Tips for Defusing Potentially Violent Situations by the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI)
De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations by the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI)
"For those who work in an environment where there is potential for violence, it is important to develop the skills needed to defuse dangerous situations. This webinar is designed to teach people to de-escalate potentially violent situations through assertiveness and interpersonal communication. Viewers will develop a clear understanding of how to assess the potential for violence and respond with a diverse set of interpersonal tools and strategies designed to defuse potentially violent situations." A certificate of completion is available.
Resources for Families
Resources for Families
Learn about what services newcomer youth may be eligible for, getting mental health-related support, getting ready to work, and more.
Learn about education in Canada, including life in Canadian schools, understanding the different types of schooling, and more.
Guide for Parents: An Introduction to the K-12 School System in Newfoundland and Labrador by the Association for New Canadians (ANC) in Newfoundland and Labrador
Here, you will find resources by one of New Brunswick's francophone school districts, including a guide for newcomer parents available in multiple languages.
Language Resources:
Activities for EAL Students: Offers grammar and vocabulary practice for all levels.
BBC - Learning English: Has a wide variety of materials and resources for all levels of language learners.
CBC Kids News: Offers news for children and youth.
Visit your local library in person or online! You will find a growing collection of books, e-books and audiobooks available in many languages.
PBS Learning Media: Includes resources for Pre-Primary to Grade 12.
Unite for Literacy: Offers free texts for elementary students to read.
YouTube Kids: Use subtitles to support understanding of YouTube videos. To help with learning the alphabet and letter sounds, search “English Alphabet” or “Letters and Letter Sounds” and you will find many results. YouTube Kids is designed to be a family-friendly online environment, safe and easy for children to explore independently. This needs to be set up by an adult.
Resources for Educators
Resources for Educators
In this video project, newcomer students share what they wish their schools and teachers knew about their education experience. It includes a video, discussion tool, and tips and tricks for educators from newcomer students.
"[...] The number of children who have experienced trauma and violence is on the rise. Thus, a compassion-based framework in education which supports student well-being and equity becomes even more pressing. Research suggests that taking this increasingly holistic approach to education improves students’ academic success and well-being and reduces educator stress and burnout. In this talk, the elements of a compassion-based framework in education are discussed and applied specifically to supporting refugee students in Ontario."
Spirit Bear's Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada
This booklet is written by Spirit Bear as a youth-guide to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.
Equity: Wisconsin’s Model to Inform Culturally Responsive Practices by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
“The Model to Inform Culturally Responsive Practices describes the beliefs, knowledge, and practices Wisconsin educators, schools, and districts need to reach and teach diverse students within their culturally responsive multi-level systems of support.”
Find books, webinars, podcasts, and more to support helpers, including a resource on trauma-informed schools. They also have many additional paid resources and trainings.
Right to Be offers different trainings on how to be a bystander when witnessing injustice towards different communities. They have an active shooter training, a bystander intervention training for educators, a bystander intervention to support the immigrant community, and more.
Find online course suggestions, articles and blogs, and podcasts and interviews on good practices when working with refugee-background students compiled by the University of Leicester. They also offers a free, self-paced online training for teachers on trauma-informed ESOL for refugees with the option of scheduling a live workshop (for a fee).
The British Council offers courses on various topics related to English-language learning, including on inclusive classrooms, teaching English to refugees and displaced learners and English in the multilingual classroom.
Supporting Newcomer Youth (Outreach Materials) by Kids Help Phone
Supporting Newcomer Youth Through the Process of School Integration in Canada: A Brief Report Highlighting Student Voices by Researchers at the University of Calgary
"Given that an increasing number of newcomer youth enter high schools in Canada each year, educational settings are faced with the challenge of creating programming and policies that promote a positive integration process. As part of a larger study that examined the integration experiences of newcomer youth, four participants were asked to offer advice for other newcomer students and for professionals working with this group and suggestions of ways to improve the current educational system. Analysis of these suggestions revealed four themes: (a) forming connections, (b) support from professionals, (c) appropriate placement, and (d) provision of additional resources and information."
Students with Refugee Experience: A Guide for Teachers and Schools by the Government of British Columbia - Ministry of Education
Resources by Inclusion NB
Inclusion NB has resources on a variety of topics and a section specifically on resources related to education. Their materials are focused on supporting students with disabilities, but they contain valuable information that can be applied to fostering inclusion more broadly. A resource that may be of particular interest is their tool on creating an inclusive school.
Resources by CMAS
CMAS has materials in areas such as child development, programs and activities, culture and diversity, and more. They also have a section specifically on supporting refugees and online courses on various topics related to working with newcomer families.
How to address the effects of trauma in the English language classroom (Article) by the British Council
"This article looks at working with students who have suffered trauma and suggests ways in which teachers can address this in the English language classroom."
Training Courses for SWIS
Training Courses for SWIS
The courses below are not directly about the work of SWIS, but they may be helpful in learning about various topics that will come up throughout your SWIS work. All courses listed are free of charge.
Courses by ARAISA
Innovating for Impact - In this ten-module course, learn how to enhance newcomers’ sense of belonging using new methods and tools.
Foundations of Evaluation and Performance Management - A five-module course designed to help Settlement and Integration practitioners improve their ability to monitor and evaluate program delivery.
An Introduction to Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Plus - An overview of GBA Plus in the context of serving and supporting newcomers, immigrants, and refugees.
The Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project (IRMHP) offers online training, tools and resources to [...] professionals working with immigrants and refugees. Browse their self-paced, online courses here. View their webinar recordings here.
Who cares? An Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive Guide to Supporting Youth Mental Health by the Canadian Women's Foundation
"This curriculum addresses challenges faced by youth workers in supporting the mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. It provides strategies that youth workers can implement to ensure their own wellbeing is taken into account."
4 Seasons of Reconciliation by BDC
"[This course] provides the foundational knowledge on the relationship between Canada, Indigenous Peoples, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). It promotes a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians through transformative learning about truth and reconciliation."
Settlement 101: The Foundations of Settlement Work by NBMC
Gender-based Analysis Plus Course by Women and Gender Equality Canada (Government of Canada)
"The content of this course focuses on the basic introduction to gender-based analysis (GBA) Plus. You will familiarize yourself with the key concepts of GBA Plus and recognize how various identity and social factors can influence the experience of federal government initiatives affecting different people. You will learn to identify how GBA Plus can enhance the responsiveness, effectiveness and outcomes of federal government initiatives while applying some foundational GBA Plus concepts and processes."
Refugees in the 21st Century by the University of London
"[This course] provides insight into the refugee phenomenon as one of the most complex, compelling and (arguably) misunderstood features of the 21st century. Taking a global perspective, it will outline the fundamentals of who ‘refugees’ are, where they come from and where they go, as well as delving into the features of the global system for refugee protection and ‘solutions’ for those who have been forcibly displaced. It places the student at the centre of the learning experience through engagement with a range of robust and challenging activities, materials and online peer engagement."
Plain Language Course by the Government of British Columbia
“Learn how to use plain language to make your writing clear and accessible.” This course takes approximately two hours to complete.
Resources for SWIS
Resources for SWIS
Overview of the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Program in the Atlantic Region (Report) by ARAISA
This report highlights the scope of work of SWIS in the Atlantic region, their most significant challenges in service delivery and opportunities for support and improvement of the program. Read the report in French here.
Settlement Workers In Schools (SWIS) Best Strategies: Step-by-Step Activity Guidelines Manual by the Saskatchewan SWIS Coordination (SSC), SAISIA
This comprehensive manual gives SWIS "guidance and direction to make connections between the goals of the SWIS program and opportunities to connect with newcomer children, youth and families. [...] It is important for SWIS staff to understand the SWIS program so they can deliver the best quality services to support newcomer students’ integration process. This document also provides an opportunity for SWIS staff to consider their present practices to best meet the needs of their clients." While this resource was created for SWIS staff in Saskatchewan, it contains valuable information that SWIS across Canada can benefit from.
"This report presents the findings of the evaluation of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) initiative. [...] The evaluation’s primary focus was to assess the design, implementation and effectiveness of SWIS, including how SWIS is delivered across regions (e.g., activity types, delivery models)."
Settlement Workers in Schools’ (SWIS) Support for K-12 Refugee Students: A Resilience and Compassion-Based Approach by Raghad Ebied
Dr. Ebied's research "focused on how Settlement workers in schools (SWIS) in Ontario, Canada identify newcomer refugee K-12 students’ needs, the challenges SWIS experience, and the strategies they draw on to support newcomer refugee students."
Shaping Perspectives, Bridging Divides: A Toolkit by ARAISA
"This toolkit aims to provide settlement and integration organizations with communications best practices and messaging that articulate the value of immigration to local communities and the benefit of settlement and integration services in unlocking that value." Access it in French here.
Resources by SAISIA
Check out SAISIA's resources that were originally created for SWIS in Saskatchewan and the PNT region. Their Newcomer's Guide to the Canadian School System may be especially useful.
The Newcomer Multilingual Info Bank by Refugee 613
"The Multilingual Info Bank is a collection of multilingual settlement resources in the form of fact sheets, videos, infographics and more, searchable by language, topic, and format, from Canadian and international sources. [...] This is a great place to start, if you are a newcomer or helping newcomers and looking for specific settlement information in variety of languages for your community or clients to succeed in their settlement journey in Canada."
SOGIESC Allyship Manual for Settlement Workers by NBMC, Chroma NB, Alter Acadie and Gender Neutral
This manual reflects the collective effort and insight of our partners and serves as an important learning tool in advancing equity and inclusion.
Trauma-Sensitive Financial Literacy Guidance for the Settlement and Integration Sector by Chantel Chapman
This webinar is ideal for service providers looking to enhance their financial support with a trauma-informed lens. You’ll learn practical tools to support newcomers experiencing financial shock due to displacement, migration, and systemic barriers.
Breaking Barriers : Supporting Diverse and 2SLGBTQI+ Newcomers
ARAISA organized an in-person professional development event for frontline workers on February 5 and 6, 2025 in Saint John, NB. Read the event report and watch the event recordings on topics like best practices when working with 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers, supporting newcomers with disabilities, youth and rural experiences, and more!
Resources by the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia (RRANS)
RRANS has resources for newcomers on topics like housing, mental health, money, rights and freedoms, and newcomer-Indigenous relations. They are available in Arabic, English, Farsi, French, and Spanish.
RRANS has also developed the "Toolkit for 2SLGBTQIA+ Newcomer Service Providers to help organizations better support, advocate for, and understand the unique experiences of LGBTQI refugees and 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers in Nova Scotia. This resource was created through community conversations, and facilitated and written with care, by RRANS team member, Dineh Hernandez."
Resources by the FCJ Refugee Centre
Leena offers therapy services from diverse therapists. "[They] believe in the transformative power of culturally sensitive mental health care. [... Their] mission is to break down barriers, reduce stigma, and illuminate the path to mental well-being within BIPOC communities." Lena also has a blog with posts on trauma, stress, family, and more. Check them out for yourself or share them with your clients.
Journeys to Active Citizenship by North York Community House and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Journeys to Active Citizenship (JAC) was a project that "co-designed curriculum and tools for civic engagement programs for -and with-immigrants and refugees. The 5-year project (2020-2025) fostered a more inclusive Canada by empowering newcomers to play a greater role in shaping communities." While the JAC project ended in March 2025, they continue to offer all their activities, program models and resources for free download on their website.
National GBA Plus Resource Guide
This [guide] is a national effort across all seven umbrella organizations that represent the immigrant and refugee sector in their respective provinces and regions. [...] The purpose of this [project was] to support the settlement and integration sector in addressing the diverse needs and intersecting identities of newcomers by enhancing the capacity of settlement agencies to apply Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Plus approaches to their policies and programs. By embedding these principles into their organizational structures, policies, and service delivery, this guide provides essential tools and resources for organizations to begin or refine their GBA Plus implementation in their daily operations."
Take a look at the resources on other sections of this page, as some of them may be relevant to SWIS too!
If you are a SWIS in the Atlantic, login to our private page here.
Disclaimer: ARAISA is not responsible for the accuracy of the information in these resources. All materials are provided as is. This content may not work for every organization. The information here does not serve as legal, consulting, or professional advice. ARAISA is not liable for any claims, losses, or damages related to this information.
Disclaimer: ARAISA is not responsible for the accuracy of the information in these resources. All materials are provided as is. This content may not work for every organization. The information here does not serve as legal, consulting, or professional advice. ARAISA is not liable for any claims, losses, or damages related to this information.
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