Proposals

How Circles make decisions with input and integrity

At Equal Care Co-op, most decisions are made by Circles: either the main Circle or one of its sub-Circles. Circles have the autonomy to decide within their own domain (area of responsibility), but they’re also expected to seek out and listen to input - especially when a decision could have a wider impact.

This section outlines how Circles gather input, how individuals can give feedback or appeal a decision, and how proposals are created and developed.

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When a Circle receives a question or proposal:

1. Check the domain First, the Circle checks: Is this within our area of responsibility? And if so, Is it a major decision — one with broad impact or complexity?

2. Decide how to respond The Circle can:

   • Make the decision directly

   • Do research

   • Ask for opinions (formally or informally)

   • Send the question to another Circle

   • Appoint a Helping Circle to explore the issue and make a recommendation

   • Host a Community Conversation for input

   How much input the Circle gathers depends on the issue’s size, complexity, and potential for disagreement.

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Giving input and being heard

• Anyone can share input with any Circle member, at any time

• Anyone can ask to attend a Circle meeting (even if they’re not a member) to be heard on a particular issue

• All meeting minutes are public and include a record of past decisions and upcoming topics

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Appealing a Circle’s decision

If a community member strongly disagrees with a Circle’s decision, they can appeal — but it takes three unrelated people to do so.

Here’s how it works:

1. The three people bring their appeal back to the original Circle for review and response (in one session).

2. If no resolution is found, they seek support from Care and Counsel, along with the Circle’s delegates (within two sessions, unless extended by consent).

3. If that still doesn’t resolve things, the appeal moves to the next broader Circle.

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Creating or revising a policy

When a Circle sees the need for a new policy (or to revise an old one), the process might follow all — or just some — of the steps below, depending on how complex or controversial the issue is.

Step-by-step process (for complex proposals):

1. Form a picture The Circle discusses the issue and gathers initial reactions or ideas.

2. Choose a lead One person is nominated to lead the policy-writing or revision process.

3. Notify the community The lead shares that a revision is happening, includes a copy of the existing or draft policy, and invites feedback. A deadline for input is included.

4. Gather input Input could come from:

   • One-to-one conversations

   • Surveys

   • Community Conversations

   • Research

5. Draft the policy (Version 1) The lead writes a first draft and shares it with the Circle for feedback.

6. Revise and share (Version 2) The draft is revised and shared more widely with the community.

7. Circle review The Circle discusses, amends and prepares for approval.

8. Final community input The near-final draft (Version 3) is published with a deadline for final input, and a date is shared for when the Circle will make its decision.

9. Incorporate input The lead collects final feedback and writes a final draft (Version 4).

10. Make the decision The Circle uses consent to approve the policy, including term length and how it will be measured.

11. Announce and document The final policy is added to the Community Agreements document and recorded in Circle meeting minutes.

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This process ensures proposals are developed collaboratively, reflect the needs of the wider community, and are aligned with the Circle’s purpose and responsibilities.