The Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program is an early intervention program intended to contribute to humanitarian entrants and other eligible vulnerable migrants and communities. The Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) is responsible for significant grant programs. SETS is a long standing and high value grant program for the department. The audit provides assurance to Parliament over the effectiveness of the management of the grants in achieving the program objectives.

Key findings

• The management of funding under the SETS program has been partly effective.
• The grant agreements do not include the key performance indicators that were set out in the program guidelines, and do not directly link payments to provider performance.
• Management of agreements has not ensured that service providers consistently meet the requirements of the grant agreements.
• Program performance has been mixed in a number of areas including improving client independence, participation in Australian society and wellbeing.

There were ten recommendations to improve the grant agreements, departmental management of those agreements and the extent to which the program is demonstrably providing services to humanitarian entrants and vulnerable migrants.