11. Dissolving a Circle of Support and Accountability

A. Bridges to the Broader Community

The ultimate goal of COSA is to assist with core members' safe integration into the community. It is occasionally worthwhile to remember that the "community" is not the COSA itself, even though the COSA was intentionally formed as a "community of care" and as a temporary model of living responsibly within the larger community.

Circles of Support and Accountability provide a supportive community and function as a bridge to the broader community. A COSA is drawn from the larger community and one of its purposes is to introduce the core member to that community. COSA should act as a "surrogate" to the broader community for as brief time as possible. Even so, relationships and friendships developed in the COSA may, and often do, last a long after the COSA has dissolved.

The role of a family is similar. While the "family" may always "be there" for the core member, he must be encouraged to take care of himself in healthy and safe ways rather than depending on others to "do" for him. The core member must be encouraged to increasingly engage the wider community in appropriate, safe ways.

Most COSAs seem to operate for a year. Some, however, operate much longer.

B. The "Normal" Life Cycle of a COSA

In the first year, the primary task is to help the core member successfully re-enter the community. The COSA will usually experience an intense period of activity in the first four-to-six weeks of a core member's return to the community. After that, activities will begin to decrease. Meetings that began on a weekly or bi-weekly basis will taper to every two weeks, and then to monthly meetings. Daily, face-to-face contact with a core member in time will change to telephone contact, and then again to weekly or "as needed" contact. The COSA (which includes, of course, the core member) will decide these changes at COSA meetings. The Covenant should always be amended accordingly.

At the end of the first year, it may be decided that a COSA is no longer needed. The COSA may then decide to disband. This is a normal part of the "life" of a COSA. Some COSAs have disbanded even though the core member continues to be in contact with some of the volunteers. However, the relationships are changed as a result of disbanding. Contact becomes informal and is based on the friendships that developed during the "life" of the COSA. These bonds of friendship may continue for a lifetime.

C. Extended COSA Life and Replacing "Retired" Volunteers

In some cases, COSAs continue to function for several years. Some of the original volunteers remain, while newer volunteers replace those that depart. In some cases, fewer volunteers are needed as the years pass. Some core members feel they cannot function without knowing that their COSA is available in times of need. However, care should be taken to ensure that the COSA is assisting the core member in developing increasingly independent living skills, rather than developing dependence. It is worth remembering that in some cases it was the core member's over-dependence on others that in one form or another that may have contributed to his offences in the first place.

D. Dishonored Covenants and COSA "Failures"

As previously mentioned, the Covenant should establish procedures for dealing with failures on the part of any COSA member. Volunteers should be models of responsible and accountable living. As human beings, however, everyone can occasionally fail to live up to the standards expected of them. When this happens on the part of volunteers, an opportunity for the core member about individual responsibility and accountability is presented.

While a core member may experience difficulty abiding by the terms of the covenant, this alone should not lead to the disbanding of a COSA. A core member's need to learn how to live a life based on responsibility and accountability is one of the purposes for forming a COSA. As well, the COSA may wish to review the Covenant to see if its terms are too demanding and in need of revision.

However, chronic disregard of the Covenant, as distinct from having difficulty living up to promises even after revisions, may prompt a COSA to review its offer of acceptance and support for a core member. Such a situation requires serious consideration given the commitment a COSA has to community safety. Among the possible consequences for chronic disregard of the Covenant is an agreement on the part of the whole COSA agreeing to withdraw their support for a core member.

E. Notifying Authorities

The decision to disband a COSA may include notifying the appropriate authorities. The decision to notify authorities should be guided by the following:

• Is there an active judicial restraint order (i.e. Order under S. 810 CCC)?
• Is the core member in or entering his crime cycle?
• Are there moral considerations relating to community safety that should be taken into account, such as whether or not any judicial restraints govern the behavior of a core member, or whether the situation presents a threat to community safety? Is there a clear danger of someone being victimized by the core member? Does the COSA believe that a citizen, especially a child, is at risk, or that another crime has or is about to be committed?

Whenever a COSA disbands, for whatever reason, it should meet to conduct a "debriefing" with all its members, including the core member whenever possible. If there is a Steering Committee or a Board of Governance for the COSA, its members may also be included in the debriefing.

Depending on the circumstances, the dissolution of a COSA may signal significant growth on the part of a core member, and may be cause for celebrating the accomplishments made for all concerned.