CoSA Canada Inc.

Published purpose

The Circles of support and Accountability (CoSA) takes a Restorative Justice approach to supporting and holding accountable individuals who have committed sexual offences to reintegrate into the community. During the pandemic, CoSA sites began to experiment with virtual circles using video platforms or phone conferencing. Though in-person circles are preferred over virtual circles in most circumstances, the CoSA network recognizes the opportunity of serving Core Members (CM) who live in more remote communities through this innovation on the model. Remote communities not only cannot sustain a local CoSA site, but may also have challenges in mobilizing sufficient volunteers to provide circles. This project will develop a consistent model of virtual circles, a management plan for referral of CMs, as well as the concept of a national bank of volunteers to populate circles for remote communities. This will require the development of a national leadership training program that is able to recruit volunteers from any community in Canada.