SSI - Settlement Services International

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SSI - Settlement Services International

SSI is a national not-for-profit organisation providing life-changing human and social services.

Our purpose is to empower individuals, children, families and communities from diverse backgrounds and identities to fully participate in the economic, social, civic and diverse cultural life of Australia, creating a more equitable, resilient, enriched and inclusive society.

04/09/2026

For newly arrived refugees, understanding how to stay safe around water can't wait for summer.

Our Humanitarian Settlement Program recently partnered with Surf Life Saving NSW to deliver a beach safety day at Dee Why Beach and Surf Life Saving Club, bringing together newly arrived community members for a practical, hands-on session that could one day save a life.

Under the guidance of local lifeguards, participants learned to read safety flags, spot rip currents, and understand the risks of rock fishing — skills that are new to many arriving from places without a coastal safety culture.

Confidence around water is more than a safety outcome. It opens up beaches, parks, and community spaces that are central to Australian life, and to feeling like you truly belong here. That's why our HSP Orientation team champion initiatives like this one, year round.

Thank you to Surf Life Saving NSW and the Dee Why SLSC for welcoming our communities so warmly.

SSI is contracted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).

02/09/2026

What a celebration! 🎆

World of Cultures 2026 has wrapped and we are still feeling the warmth of an incredible evening. Thousands of people came together at the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct in the heart of Logan to celebrate the cultures, stories and traditions that make this community so special.

The main stage came alive with hundreds of performers celebrating cultures from around the world. Across the precinct, the atmosphere was electric, with global flavours, vibrant cultural experiences and something for everyone to enjoy. The evening culminated in a spectacular fireworks display, bringing the crowd together on the main lawn for a memorable finale.

To the many stallholders, performers, volunteers and community groups who made the day so special - thank you.

A special call out to our young MCs Idris and Husna who hosted our welcome event with confidence, warmth and plenty of personality - you stole the show! And to Hermann Vorster MP Mayor Jon Raven for joining to show their support.

A heartfelt thank you to Aunty Robyn Williams for her Welcome to Country on behalf of the Yugambeh people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which World of Cultures in held.

Finally we are incredibly grateful to our sponsors for helping us make this celebration possible Logan City Council Crime Stoppers Queensland ECCQ - Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland MultiLink Community Services Inc. Hyperdome Shopping Centre Parent Pathways AU YFS Logan Together Queensland Human Rights Commission Queensland Government 4EB Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC)

📸Ange Costes Photography

01/09/2026

Diana is a qualified social worker from Uganda, based in Victoria. Despite nine years of prior experience, she hasn't been able to secure work in her field since arriving in Australia.

She's one of the women being supported by SSI's Women's Employment and Skills Pathways (WESP) program, which helps migrant women navigate a skills recognition system that wasn't built with them in mind. Through WESP, Diana is getting personalised navigation support to understand the recognition and employment pathways available to her, and to work towards practising as a social worker again.

Last week, she joined other women at the launch of the first-of-its-kind program at SSI's Logan hub in Queensland with Treasurer Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP

More than 340,000 migrant women in Australia are working below their skill and qualification level, according to our Activate Her Skills research. WESP's pilot, run out of Logan with online support available nationally, has already supported over 130 women from more than 40 countries, qualified in everything from healthcare and engineering to teaching, law, commerce and hospitality.

The program is funded by the Minderoo Foundation as part of its work to help address workforce shortages across industries that need these women's skills.

WESP is part of the Activate Australia's Skills campaign, led by SSI and backed by over 130 partner organisations, and informed by the campaign's report, Activate Her Skills.

Read more about WESP here: https://www.ssi.org.au/our-services/employment/womens-employment-and-skills-pathways-wesp/

SSI's full statement available in the comments

31/08/2026

Access to basic healthcare is often one of the first things lost when people are displaced from their homes. For many of the 375 refugees who attended the Fairfield Health Hub last month, this was their reality prior to coming to Australia.

Through the Humanitarian Settlement Program, our Fairfield teams brought vaccinations, optometry, and children's dental services together under one roof in a safe, familiar, and culturally responsive space.

What that looked like in practice:
💉 203 vaccine doses administered.
👓 135 clients received eye health assessments.
🦷 81 children accessed dental care and oral health education.

This is what early settlement support can look like at its best: practical, compassionate, and meeting people where they are with culturally responsive care. Thank you to the Fairfield teams who made this possible!

SSI is contracted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).

24/08/2026

World of Cultures 2026 is almost here! 🌍

Join us this Saturday 29 August at the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct from 3-7pm for Logan's biggest celebration of culture. Expect live outdoor performances, global food, family friendly activities and a spectacular fireworks display finale 🎆

Come dressed in your cultural attire and celebrate your heritage in Logan!

FREE and family friendly. Register your ticket here: https://events.humanitix.com/world-of-cultures-2026

**Due to a large public interest we suggest catching the train as parking is limited. The Kingston Butter Factory is located right beside the Kingston Train Station and fares are only 50c.

Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC)

12/08/2026

When facility services company ISS needed staff for Sydney Airport, they found more than they expected in Suhail: someone eager to contribute, keen to keep learning, and exactly the right fit for the role.

Suhail arrived in Australia in 2022 hoping to work in aviation, the same field he'd been drawn to back home. But without local work history, familiar systems, or English as a first language, that dream felt far off. He drifted between jobs, including a stint as a hairdresser, before being connected with a case manager through SSI who shared his background and spoke his language.

Together, they found him the role he'd always wanted. Today, Suhail works in baggage screening at Sydney Airport, and by all accounts, thriving in it.

His story is one of 230 successful placements in the first eight months of SSI's Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program, which supports people with disability from refugee backgrounds into sustainable work. The program's 85% retention rate points to something simple but often overlooked: when support is tailored to the whole person, not just the job, it works.

Thank you to Will Jackson and the ABC News for telling this story.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/new-system-to-help-refugees-with-disability/106842132

06/08/2026

Building a life in a new country happens one experience at a time.

From AFL matches to flu clinics, our Humanitarian Settlement Programs have been creating experiences that help newly arrived refugees connect, build confidence and feel at home in Australia.

🏉 The GWS Giants welcomed 50 newcomers to the Cultural Heritage Match for a night of live AFL, new faces, and a memorable first taste of Australian sport.

💉 A flu clinic with South Western Sydney Local Health District and the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service saw 59 clients receive their flu vaccination with the help of interpreters.

🏥 The My Health Day event brought 130+ clients from Rohingya, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and Somali-speaking communities together for blood pressure checks, cancer screening information, yoga, henna, and kids' activities all under one roof.

💼 A men’s excursion to the Community Refugee Welcome Centre connected newly arrived refugees with Thrive for hands-on resume support and practical guidance on building a career and business in Australia.

This is the quiet, steady work of settlement support. It means meeting people where they are, building confidence across multiple life domains, and strengthening the community ties that help people not just settle, but belong.

Thank you to every staff member, volunteer, and partner who made these days possible.

GWS Giants South Western Sydney Local Health District NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service Family Planning Australia Bankstown Women's Health Centre STARTTS Thrive Services Community Refugee Welcome Centre

SSI is contracted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP).

04/08/2026

Some of the most important health questions go unasked, simply because there's no safe space to ask them.

Last month, we hosted our first culturally safe preventative health workshop for Arabic-speaking women at our Fairfield office. Almost 30 women came together to learn about women's health, preventative care, and screening services, in a space that felt safe and familiar.

The room was full of questions, shared experiences, and genuine engagement. Many women left having booked their own screening appointments, proof that when information is delivered in a trusted setting, people act on it.

This day was made possible by collaboration. Thank you to South Western Sydney PHN, BreastScreen NSW, and Family Planning Australia for working alongside us to make healthcare information accessible and culturally responsive.

Access to healthcare shouldn't depend on how confident you feel navigating a new system. This is what community-led, collaborative care looks like, and we're proud to keep building it with our partners.

Learn more about Health Support Navigation Service: https://www.ssi.org.au/our-services/health-wellbeing/healthcare-navigation-support/

03/08/2026

Last week, our Bert Oldfield Public School Community Hub experienced a bit of mud and magic. 🌳

Little hands pulled on colourful gloves, dug into the soil, and planted trees for National Tree Day. There was laughter and real curiosity as the children learned why trees matter and what it takes to look after one.

The local community helped make it happen, thanks to Bunnings Warehouse Australia Blacktown for supporting the day, and to Blacktown City Council for donating 40 saplings to the school.

Moments like this are what our Community Hubs Australia are built for. We meet children and families where they are, in the places they already know and trust, and create experiences that help them learn, connect, and grow together.

Learn more about our Community Hubs:
https://www.ssi.org.au/our-services/families-children-and-youth/community-hubs-program/

Bert Oldfield Public School, Community Hubs Australia, Bunnings Warehouse Australia, Blacktown City Council, NSW Department of Education

27/07/2026

SSI staff stood in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during NAIDOC Week, attending events across Australia’s east coast in Melbourne, Sydney, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Logan and Brisbane.

This year’s theme, 50 Years of Deadly, marked five decades since NAIDOC expanded into a full week-long celebration. It was a powerful opportunity to listen, learn and celebrate alongside First Nations communities, Elders, leaders, artists and knowledge holders.

For non-Indigenous staff, attending NAIDOC events is an important act of respect and allyship. It helps deepen our understanding of the histories, cultures, achievements and ongoing leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Showing up respectfully also helps build trust, strengthen relationships and support the visibility and self-determination of First Nations communities.

SSI is grateful for the opportunity to take part in NAIDOC Week and to continue moving reconciliation beyond words through listening, learning and shared responsibility.

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Sydney, NSW

Telephone

+61287996700

Website

https://www.ssi.org.au/

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