Settlement Workers In Schools (SWIS) Durham
Connecting newly-arrived families to services and resources in the school and community.
SWIS Mission Statement
SWIS Durham is committed to providing quality initial settlement services to newcomer families with school-aged children in the Region of Durham; offering services that is confidential, culturally-appropriate, non- judgmental and sensitive to the needs of the client, in an inclusive, accessible manner that empowers and fosters client independence.
How Can SWIS help?
SWIS services can help parents/guardians, school-aged youth and provide support to Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) and Durham District School Board (DDSB) school staff.
Our programs are available to:
- Students and families registered with DCDSB and DDSB.
- Every school is assigned a SWIS worker.
We Can:
- Help you and your family settle and integrate in your schools and communities
- Connect you with school and community resources
- Provide language support for school meetings
- Connect school staff with parents for student success
You Will:
- Get a better understanding of the Ontario School System
- Learn how to support your childrens’ learning
- Be connected with programs and services in the school and community
- Access language support and cultural support from the SWIS team
How To Find Your SWIS Worker & Access SWIS Services:
- Self-referral – find your school settlement worker by searching here: All Schools Contact Lists September 15 2025
- Contact your school office to find out who is your school settlement (SWIS) worker
- Contact the SWIS office here
Who Is My SWIS Worker?
Find your school settlement worker by searching here: School Contact Lookup
Help For Parents
The SWIS Durham program provides newcomer and immigrant families with information and referrals to community resources to help you settle in your new community.
Do you have questions about:
- Learning English?
- Educational Services?
- Housing Services?
- Health Services?
- Employment Services?
- Immigration Services?
- Legal Services?
Connecting with SWIS is as easy as 1…2…3
A message to parents from your SWIS Worker:
Help For Youth
Youth services, programs and initiatives:
- Newcomer Orientation Week (NOW)
- Peer Leader Training
- Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
- SWIS Making Connections Event
- March Break Events
- Volunteer hours and community involvement
Support For Schools
What is SWIS?
Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) Durham is a school-based program that provides information and referral services to assist newly-arrived families in many ways including:
- Assisting newcomers with accessing school and community resources
- Linking newcomers with social and cultural services
- Assisting newcomers as they integrate into their local schools
How it works?
Each school is assigned a school settlement worker. With the cooperation of the school, settlement workers contact newcomer parents and youth to provide them with settlement/school information and refer them to other community services. Students under the age of 16 require parental consent to access SWIS. Though not a professional translator, the settlement worker in your school is part of a multilingual team and can help families access services in many languages.
For more information about SWIS, click here
How to refer to SWIS?
- Ask the family or youth to fill out a SWIS Consent Form (available at the school office or from your school settlement worker).
- Return the Consent Form to your school settlement worker.
- SWIS will contact the newcomer
SWIS Consent Forms are available in 30 different languages.
Durham Catholic District School Board English Consent Form
Durham District School Board English Consent Form
To access the SWIS Consent Form in another language fill out the form below
How to find your SWIS worker?
Look up the worker assigned to your school here. Click here to search