What is a Home Group?
It has been a helpful experience for S-Anon members to designate one group as their “home group.” This is the group that they regularly attend and in which they accept service responsibilities at and beyond the group level. S-Anon members can attend as many different meetings as they choose, but their home group is the one that the member commits to, votes in, and is represented in.
With membership in S-Anon comes the right to participate in decisions that affect the groups they regularly attend. Each member may participate in group conscience decisions regarding group- or intergroup-specific issues in any or all the meetings they regularly attend. When registered S-Anon groups are involved in service or discussions that affect World Service Conference (WSC) members or decisions, such as discussing motions to the WSC or electing Area Delegates and Regional Trustees (who are WSC members), a member’s voice and vote is appropriately represented only once, as a member of their registered home group.
The S-Anon World Service Office (WSO) will register any group designating itself as an S-Anon or S-Ateen Family Group, with the following understandings:
1. The group will abide by all of the Twelve Traditions of S-Anon and, in particular, that group meetings will be open to all who qualify for S-Anon (Tradition Three). It follows that a group that limits attendance in any way cannot be registered with the WSO, nor can it remain registered with the WSO, nor can it remain registered if the group decides to limit attendance after they have registered the group.
2. To guard against the dilution of the S-Anon program (Tradition Four), the group will use S-Anon-published literature as the primary recovery tool. S-Anon literature is written by S-Anon members, addresses the S-Anon “problem” as experienced by the group conscience of S-Anon members, and addresses the S-Anon “solution” as experienced by S-Anon members using the S-Anon Steps, Traditions, and Concepts of Service. We also ask that other S-Anon Conference Approved Literature be used in meetings only as a complement to S-Anon published literature.
It follows that a group that limits attendance in any way cannot be registered with the WSO, nor can it remain registered if the group decides to limit attendance after they have registered the group.
Registration with the WSO provides contact information for your group in order to make it possible for your group to be informed about S-Anon issues and activities, and ensures your group has a voice, through representation at an S-Anon World Service Conference, in issues affecting the fellowship as a whole. You are encouraged to register the group with the WSO as soon as the group has a set time and location and has begun meeting. To protect the anonymity of members who serve as contact persons (usually on a rotating basis), some groups find it helpful to set up a “generic” group email address and/or telephone information line for their use.
• Helping Newcomers Find Your Group. As part of registering, the WSO asks a member from the group to provide the WSO with contact information (email, telephone) so the group can receive information and updates from the WSO. Since the WSO does not give out specific locations of groups, they also ask for a member to serve as a contact person for inquirers who would like to attend the group closest to their location. The person who receives mailings and the person who serves as contact person for inquirers may be, but does not have to be the same person.
• Becoming Informed About S-Anon Activities. The group may also choose to allow the WSO to give out certain information to the Area Delegate for your state or province, the Intergroup (representatives from local groups), and/or the Regional Trustee so that you can stay informed of local events and issues that may affect your group. These S-Anon members may also be able to offer your group support and encouragement. (See Section TBD)
• Group Voice in Fellowshipwide Group Conscience. Only members of registered groups would be given the opportunity to participate in any fellowshipwide group conscience directed by the World Service Conference and carried out by the Board of Trustees. (See Section TBD)
Registration forms are available at www.sanon.org; the information may be sent by postal mail, or given to the WSO by telephone (800-210-8141). An online option also exists: fill out an editable PDF of the Group Registration Form online at www.sanon.org, and then e-mail the completed document to sanon@sanon.org. Any time the group changes its contact person or location, please inform the WSO about the changes by e-mail, telephone, or postal mail so we can keep the group registration current.
The WSO updates group records annually. Along with every annual February Special Appeal package, a request is included to review the Group Registration Form and submit updates to the WSO. It is important for groups to provide this information so that inquirers can be given current and complete information.
Currently, email is used for most of the WSO communication, but if your group prefers, postal correspondence from the WSO may be requested and comes without a specific return address to protect the anonymity of members. You might wish to obtain a post office box to use as the permanent group mailing address. Alternatively, the group mailing address might be that of a group member who anticipates keeping the same address for at least a year and who attends meetings regularly.
All registration and group contact information provided to the WSO is considered confidential. It is used only for official S-Anon World Service Office and Board of Trustees business and is provided to Delegates, inquirers, or local/regional S-Anon event organizers if the group gives their permission.
If the WSO, acting in accordance with and at the direction of the Board of Trustees [1] becomes aware that a group is not abiding by any of the Twelve Traditions of S-Anon, a letter is sent to the group contact person explaining the perceived non-observance of the Tradition(s) and asking if the group would like to reconsider its practices. If the group does not wish to reconsider, it can no longer be registered with the WSO, and newcomers will not be referred to the group. If the group at any time decides to reconsider the practices that do not follow the Traditions, the group can again be registered. The BOT, acting as guardians of the Twelve Traditions of S-Anon, has determined this policy best serves the S-Anon fellowship as a whole.
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[1] “The Board is the chief service arm of the Conference, which is guardian of S-Anon’s Twelve Traditions. ….. the Board has responsibility to determine policy and manage the business affairs of the WSO.” World Service Conference Charter, VII.A
Last Updated May 2023
