Our Refugee Services program and New Settler Services program have recently been renamed to New Neighbours Settlement Support program in the Metropolitan and Murraylands regions.

Staff at Lutheran Community Care decided the name change was necessary to acknowledge that settlement is a double sided process. Resident Australians are as much 'new neighbours' to the new arrivals in their midst as the people from refugee backgrounds are new neighbours for these residents.

"We did not want to continue to refer to people who have had experience as refugees for a portion of their lives as 'refugees', which ignores and devalues all their other life experiences. The people we work with are Australians who have had experiences as refugees," says Nayano Taylor-Neumann, Manager Lutheran Community Care Blair Athol/ Murraylands.

The program still offers the same services to help new arrivals confidently participate in their wider community after their arrival. Some of these services include social support groups, homework support, casework, mentoring for arrivals interested in volunteering, financial literacy and support, and information about life in Australia amongst others.

Services are provided by experienced staff in the client's language using bi-cultural workers and interpreting services. The program staff have strong relationships with new arrival communities, assuring the highest quality of support.

New Neighbours Settlement Support is delivered in a safe and friendly environment and provides a wide range of other LCC services to new arrivals. New Neighbours Settlement Support is designed to help new arrivals who have been in Australia for six months to five years living in metropolitan Adelaide or the Murraylands. For more information contact Lutheran Community Care at 08 8269 9300 for the Metropolitan area or 08 8531 3644 for the Murraylands.