Everyday decisions

How Equal Care gets things done, day to day.

At Equal Care, the way we make decisions and organise our work is based on interconnected Circles.

Each Circle is a small group of people who come together for a shared purpose. We call that their aim.

They’re responsible for making decisions and taking action within a specific area, known as their domain.

Within their domain, Circles make both policy (the rules and ways of working) and operational (the practical, day-to-day) decisions. These decisions are made using consent, meaning a decision goes ahead as long as no one has a strong, reasoned objection.

Circles are linked together so that information and decision-making can flow between them: from Teams and Local Circles, to the Members’ and Purpose Circles. This helps ensure decisions are made by the people best placed to make them, without leaving others out of the loop.

There are a few ground rules:

• No Circle can make a policy that goes against the law.

• Circles must stick to the principles of sociocratic governance (as outlined in our Rules).

• Circles shouldn’t make policies that conflict with other Circles or the overall aims of the co-op.

This way of working might sound a little different, but it means everyday decisions at Equal Care are shared, transparent, and made by the people doing the work — not just passed down from the top.