Evaluation of the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS)

and important role in the IHSS. However, in other cases, the new ‘regime’ has failed to embrace
volunteers, many of whom have previously had a long-standing involvement in the settlement of
humanitarian entrants. Finally there are risks in DIMIA’s apparent responsibility for CSR groups when
there is no corresponding accountability to the Department. Greater clarity is required about the
appropriate role of volunteers within the IHSS service and how this should be implemented nationally.
4.3 Integration of services
The splitting of IHSS into different service types was intended to allow speciality services (eg
accommodation) to be provided by agencies with experience and skills that best matched the
requirements of the service. However in many instances the split between multiple agencies has
created silos that do not always facilitate smooth service delivery. While there are advantages to this
(eg discouragement of dependency on one provider), there are a number of disadvantages and
service is not, in most cases, seamless.
In practice there are actually two models operating in regard to the delivery of IHSS – one is a totally
integrated model and one is a disaggregated model. Generally the operation of one or the other
model appears to be a function of the scale of the locality in which the service operates. In smaller
localities (eg Hobart), where the services are all provided by one agency and where the number of
entrants is smaller, the services appear to be better coordinated. In Hobart, the IHSS service provider
is co-located with the EHAI/PASTT providers – resulting in even greater integration across major
services. The mix of actual workers that a client comes in contact with appears to safeguard the
provision of choice, even though the workers are operating under one agency. The disadvantage of
such a model however is that where there is only one service, there is no ready alternative in the
event of a breakdown of service provision.
Inefficiencies
Under the IHSS the administrative load of managing the service is often duplicated by multiple
agencies, where the different services are separately contracted. Organisations have had to develop
appropriate systems for management and administration of individual services and this means
replication of these efforts from one service provider to another.
Resources are also taken up by the task of coordination between agencies delivering different arms of
the services, including interagency meetings and service planning meetings.
A consequence of the disaggregation of services under IHSS, and one that has a direct impact on
clients, was the not uncommon convergence of multiple agencies on a client shortly after arrival in
order to carry out post-arrival interviews, health screening, needs assessments and other settlement
support functions. As one client said:
There was too much help – everybody helping all these people coming to your home –
wanting to take you out. You don’t have time to yourself.
Often this has left the client feeling bombarded by information and questions. It is an issue whether
this is consistent with IHSS principle (g): ‘the least intrusive and the least disruptive option which
offers the highest degree of stability and certainty is selected’.
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Evaluation of the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy 27 May 2003