Introducing the Integrated Services Delivery Model (ISDM)

The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth (CBFY) offers a wide variety of supports that will assist immigrant and refugee youth with successful educational resettlement in Calgary’s public schools.

CBFY utilizes an innovative organizational approach, the Integrated Services Delivery Model (ISDM), designed to enhance greater internal collaboration across the various programs/service delivery streams of our agency, as well as externally with our school partners and other service providers in the community.

This approach ensures a continuum of care for newcomer children and youth with all areas of their settlement and integration needs, assuring every child has access to resources and services in their chosen community. Utilizing the ISDM approach facilitates ease and adequacy of service delivery for a larger number of our client youth and their families, in clusters of schools within communities across the city of Calgary.

Within the ISDM structure, CBFY staff are organized into 3 distinctive service Teams, each serving newcomer youth and families. When youth first arrive in Calgary they register for public school at one of the two school boards’ reception centres. Whether registering with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) or the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), newcomer families will be welcomed and supported by CBFY staff who form our Connect Team.

• Connect Team staff guide families through the registration and student assessment process, and offer families the opportunity to sign up for the free resettlement services available through CBFY and provided appointments at our CBFY Bridge Link Family Support Centre to begin the resettlement process.
• SWIS (Settlement Workers) staff comprise our Bridge Link Team, supporting youth and families from the Bridge Link Family Support Centre located at our main office site, 1500, 910 7th Ave. SW, Calgary. Staff on this Team conduct initial needs assessment and develop settlement plans to best support both newcomer youth and basic family needs.
• The Bridge Link Team may make referrals to school-based settlement and integration support in all quadrants of Calgary through our Neighbourhood Newcomer Engagement in School Support Teams (NNESST). Bridge Link staff provide referrals to sister agencies through the digital Gateway system whenever possible, as well as any other appropriate support programs in the community.
• Six NNESST Teams of multi-support staff serve newcomer and refugee youth with direct supports at schools and in the communities of Calgary, offering non-therapeutic social/emotional supports, afterschool program opportunities, Mentorship and leadership opportunities (MRP) for grades 7 – 12 students, online tutoring supports, youth employability programming, Roots of Empathy program engagement, community connections, youth conferences and other program opportunities for youth ages 5 to 25 years of age.

CBFY has a long history of supporting newcomer and refugee youth, in partnership with the public school boards in Calgary. For almost 35 years we have humbly and proudly served youth, helping them succeed in school, develop strong relationships and friendships, and become active, informed, connected citizens.