We provide culturally-responsive employment support for people from refugee backgrounds in NSW, QLD and Victoria living with injury, illness or disability.

With over 25 years of experience offering refugee employment support services and job support for migrants, we help people recognise their skills and build confidence in what they can do.

Support is available to people whether they are thinking about starting work or already have a job and need some help. Support is also available for those who would like to volunteer. They can choose the type of support that suits them from the options below.

Finding and keeping a job can be especially hard for newly arrived refugees with disability. Language barriers, health and trauma, digital literacy, transport, and limited support networks often make it difficult to access mainstream services like the NDIS.

At SSI, we understand these challenges — and we know how to help overcome them. Since 2018, we’ve delivered Disability Employment Services (DES) with approaches tailored for refugees, including:

• Bilingual and culturally competent staff who understand refugee journeys
• Strong connections with refugee communities, leaders and services
• Personalised support that respects individual needs and lived experience
• Holistic help that goes beyond just job placement, for example, language, housing, financial aid and physical and mental health supports

Our track record shows the difference: We assisted over 11,600 participants between 2017 and 2024 into employment, education pathways, obtaining overseas skills and qualification recognition, and referrals into wrap-around and support services.

By focusing on refugee participants, SSI offers a culturally safe employment program, that is trusted and proven — giving people the best chance to succeed in the workforce and build a bright future.

To begin the journey with us, please fill in the application form.

You can do this even if the person hasn’t completed an employment assessment with Services Australia yet or if they are with another provider.

Fields with an * are required.

SSI offers the Inclusive Employment Australia program in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

P: 1800 299 486 (NSW)

P: 1800 299 487 (QLD)

P: 1800 299 482 (VIC)

E: iea@ssi.org.au

Let us support your organisation to embrace workplace diversity, all the while achieving your diversity, social procurement, or ESG goals.

We have extensive experience collaborating with employers to prepare jobseekers for employment. We can help you find candidates, enhance their skills, and help them to overcome the barriers challenging them.

Since 2015, SSI has supported candidates across a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, abilities, and life stages, to find sustainable employment matched to their skills and qualifications.

We will work together to find the perfect fit for your requirements. You will be able to access expert guidance from providers on recruitment and workplace practices.

We will work with you to:

• identify your business needs
• find suitable candidates
• access training
• make workplace adjustments, job customisation and tailoring
• provide safe and productive workplaces
• retain employees with disability.

We’d love to partner with employers close to where our participants live. Take a look at our locations across NSW, Victoria and Queensland here. With over 37 sites across metropolitan areas, there are lots of ways we can connect.

SSI offers this service in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

P: 1800 299 486 (NSW)

P: 1800 299 487 (QLD)

P: 1800 299 482 (VIC)

E: iea@ssi.org.au

For refugee artists, creative practice is more than a profession — it’s a lifeline, bridging past experiences with new possibilities.

Recognising art as a pathway to healing, cultural expression, and economic participation, SSI’s Humanitarian Settlement Program developed Creative Compass to invest in newcomer’s potential, offering tailored mentorship, skills development, and pathways into Australia’s arts industry.

With Creative Compass, refugee artists navigate new horizons, shaping their dreams while enriching Australia’s collective story.

Since forming in 2023, Creative Compass started as a small project and has grown into a pioneering, comprehensive program supporting artists to rebuild their creative lives and share their talents with Australian audiences. This is just the beginning. Future directions include:

• Promote Creative Compass artists to showcase and perform nationally
• Developing programs for refugee children and youth
• Establishing a dedicated art hub for rehearsals, exhibitions, and events
• Extending regional outreach and conducting long-term research into wellbeing and career outcomes
• Building a replicable model for culturally responsive arts programs

Creative Compass is a growing movement of artists, mentors, and supporters.
If you’d like more information, if you’re a cultural institution wanting to collaborate, or a stakeholder interested in partnership opportunities — we’d love to hear from you.

Email: creativecompass@ssi.org.au

Ghasan Saaid

When children cannot live with their parents, they need care that is safe, supportive, and connected to their family and culture.

Wherever possible, children are placed with family (kin).

When that’s not possible, we look to community members who can provide a culturally appropriate home.

Children thrive when they are supported to learn about and maintain their culture, language and religion. This helps them:

Kinship carers are approved to provide care in their own homes for a child or young person they are related to, or who knows them as part of their extended family or community. A kinship carer may be:

• A grandparent
• An aunt or uncle
• Another relative
• A close family friend
• For children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, kinship care may also include someone who is known to the child and shares the child’s community, culture, or language group.

SSI’s Multicultural Family Based Care Program works with and supports kinship and foster carers in Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich.

• Foster carers are approved to provide care in their own home for children and young people who are not related to them biologically.
• This care can be short-term or long-term and is supported by a service provider – in this case, SSI.

Becoming a carer is a meaningful way to make a lasting difference in a child or young person’s life. As a kinship or foster carer, you’ll be supported every step of the way with:

• A chance to change a life – Provide safety, stability, and connection for a vulnerable child or young person.
• Ongoing support and training – Access tailored training programs and in-home assistance to help you feel confident in your role.
• Services for children in your care – Children can benefit from early intervention programs delivered through local community hubs.
• Specialist cultural guidance – Receive support from an organisation with expertise in CALD communities, ensuring culturally safe and sensitive care for both you and the children you support.

At SSI we believe every child deserves safety, belonging, and the chance to stay connected to their family, culture, and community.

The Multicultural Family Based Care Program supports children and young people who cannot live at home by:

When children need to be in out of home care for their safety and wellbeing, the best outcome for them is to be placed with family wherever possible. If this isn’t possible, we help connect them with carers from their cultural community.

We also support families through a process called family mapping, which helps identify relatives or culturally appropriate carers who can provide children with stability while maintaining their important connections.

By strengthening family and community ties, this program helps children and young people grow up with love, stability, and a strong sense of identity.

If you’re interested in becoming a kinship or foster carer, or simply want to learn more:

Call us on 0466 252 298

Email us at mfbc.logan@ssi.org.au

This guide is designed for individuals who want to deepen their understanding of forced marriage, domestic servitude and labour exploitation through personal reflection. With each video there is a section with reflective questions, law, and information about support services.

Download the guide for step-by-step instructions on how to use the videos.

You can also download the individual topic sections to focus on one topic at a time.

Explore topics:

E: info@ssi.org.au

There are three story-based videos that have been developed to raise awareness and break down complex information on forced marriage, domestic servitude, and forced labour into simple relatable information. These story-based videos present these issues in a way that allows for ‘othering’, yet foster a sense of empowerment through awareness, education, and meaningful engagement aimed at challenging and disrupting harmful norms and practices.

Each video has natural community discussion points where the facilitator pauses to hold a discussion and reflection with the participants.

Each video comes with a complete guide of questions to support discussion after each scene.

Download the guide for step-by-step instructions on how to use the videos.

You can also download the individual topic sections to focus on one topic at a time. 

Explore topics:

E: info@ssi.org.au

Planned for completion in mid-2026, the Logan Hub is a purpose-built facility jointly funded by SSI and the Queensland Government to create new economic opportunities for Logan City residents.

The Hub aims to revolutionise the landscape of community infrastructure by establishing a central place that connects people with services, opportunities and support, leading to positive economic contributions and change in the Logan community.

• A new, first of its kind ‘Economic Hub’ to be built in the heart of Logan Central, Queensland.
• $15 million, 2600sqm community infrastructure, over four levels.
• All-in-one facility for job seekers and employers to access better opportunities, and tap into a skilled workforce, increasing overall economic participation.
• Construction completed by mid-2026.

The name of the Hub will be chosen by the community it serves. Advisory group members will speak with their communities to gather ideas, and all suggestions will be carefully reviewed. Together, we’ll create a shortlist and share the final choice with the community. This way, the Hub’s name will reflect Logan’s spirit, identity and shared vision for the future.

For any enquiries or questions please get in touch with us at loganhub@ssi.org.au.

The development of the Logan Hub was developed with the support of the Queensland Government’s Community Infrastructure Investment Partnership (CIIP) program in association with SSI.