Origins of CoDA in the UK CoDA meetings started in the UK in Craven Street, near Trafalgar Square in London with 4 members. The first official meeting was held in Wood Green in 1989. Initially 4 meetings existed in London held in Wood Green, Hampstead (2) and St Pancras. The founding members from London formed…
Role Descriptions All posts are for two years, unless specified. Members can elect to serve a longer term if they wish. NSC members should have at least one year’s recovery (unless specified) and a good working knowledge of the 12 Steps and Traditions. All committee members will be expected to attend three NSC meetings and…
A CoDA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions Tradition 7 Why is service part of recovery? Those who have gone before us recognize that service is critical to recovery and is part of the Twelfth Step. Service work is a place to practice recovery skills and extend our recovery to new areas…
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We are looking for volunteers to give service to expand the service pages, sharing the benefits of service to our recovery, and providing a resource for fellow members to develop their service roles at personal, group, region, national and international level. Please contact codawebservice@codauk.org if you would like to be involved in developing the service pages resource.
“Through service inside and outside of CoDA I am growing”
Affirmations
The CoDA UK National Service Committee (NSC) meets several times a year, usually for 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon, except for the AGM, which is a full day. There is also social time after the meeting to ask questions or share about the work of the NSC and to connect with each other.
The closing date for submitting agenda items is 6 weeks ahead of each meeting (but please contact secretary@codauk.org if your group conscience puts forward an item for discussion after that date).
CoDA UK NSC – Meeting Dates 2026
NOTE: The meeting agendas and reports from NSC meetings are:
please discuss proposals / whether your meeting would like to bring proposals at your meeting group conscience .This is part of the role of CoDA meetings informing strategy in the UK.
March 2026 – AGM
Deadline for agenda items
24th January 2026
Papers to be circulated by
7th February 2026
Date of Meeting
7th March 2026
June 2026
Deadline for agenda items
22nd April 2026
Papers to be circulated by
6th May 2026
Date of Meeting
6th June 2026
Summer 2026 – CoDA Conference Prep
Deadline for agenda items
TBC
Papers to be circulated by
TBC (when received from CSC committee)
Date of Meeting
TBC
September 2026
Deadline for agenda items
22nd July 2026
Papers to be circulated by
5th August 2026
Date of Meeting
5th September 2026 – National Service Committee Quarterly Meeting
December 2026
Deadline for agenda items
22nd October 2026
Papers to be circulated by
5th November 2026
Date of Meeting
5th December 2026 – National Service Committee Quarterly Meeting
Origins of CoDA in the UK CoDA meetings started in the UK in Craven Street, near Trafalgar Square in London with 4 members. The first official meeting was held in Wood Green in 1989. Initially 4 meetings existed in London held in Wood Green, Hampstead (2) and St Pancras. The founding members from London formed…
Role Descriptions All posts are for two years, unless specified. Members can elect to serve a longer term if they wish. NSC members should have at least one year’s recovery (unless specified) and a good working knowledge of the 12 Steps and Traditions. All committee members will be expected to attend three NSC meetings and…
A CoDA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions Tradition 7 Why is service part of recovery? Those who have gone before us recognize that service is critical to recovery and is part of the Twelfth Step. Service work is a place to practice recovery skills and extend our recovery to new areas…
Share page
We are looking for volunteers to give service to expand the service pages, sharing the benefits of service to our recovery, and providing a resource for fellow members to develop their service roles at personal, group, region, national and international level. Please contact codawebservice@codauk.org if you would like to be involved in developing the service pages resource.
CoDA UK is holding its next business meeting which is open to members from all the national meetings and representatives of regional groups.
Join us online/by phone to discuss national CoDA business and share news from your groups. NSC Committee Members and Group Service Representatives (GSRs) are able to vote on any motions proposed.
The meeting will follow the successful recent format of 10 minutes per agenda item, with 30 second shares from each member before a vote is taken, if one is required. Please note that there may not be enough time in the meeting to go through any written reports in detail so we ask all members to come prepared, having read the reports and agenda items in advance, so that we have time for questions, and sharing and reflection during each agenda item.
Please note, the minute taker will record any votes and actions, which we will review at the end of the meeting. Any references to individuals are on a first name basis only. If you do not wish to be mentioned by name in th minutes, please make this clear to the minute taker.
1. Welcome, moment’s silence, Preamble, 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Service Concepts and sharing guidelines. Reminder of 30 second time out with serenity prayer if anyone requests. Appointment of a spiritual timekeeper. (20 mins)
1.00
1.20
2. Introductions and Feelings check. (individual only, i.e. not service, subcommittee or group reports) (20 mins) If any groups wish to bring reports or questions, please raise them at item 10. AOB is at item 11.
1.20
1.35
3. Request for a member to take minutes. Establish voting entity (5 mins)
1.35
1.40
4. Matters arising from May minutes Are there any questions arising? Any updates? (10 mins)
Questions for Treasurer from last NSC: 1. What is the NSC’s prudent reserve and when did CoDA UK NSC last make a 7th tradition donation? 2. How does 2022 compare to 2018 for donations? 3. Is there any information on the possible outstanding dept to CoDA Literature?
Carried forward from last NSC – Charitable status – update Carried forward from last NSC – meeting funding (start-up and return to face-to-face)
1.55
2.25
6. Reports and updates from members in service (only when agreed in advance – significant matters, discussion needed, etc) 30 second timed shares following verbal reports
2.10
6a. Sponsorship Committee – Report attached
Results of group conscience regarding safeguarding issue discussed at last NSC – and proposal that these statemetns be added to the CoDA Safeguarding Policy Document (vote required): 1. Sponsors do not ever give advice on medication in any circumstances, even if they are trained professionals. The only person who can give advice on medication is the sponsee’s own medical professional. 2. That only CoDA Approved literature be used in sponsoring.
2.15
6b. Member Networks/CoDA Outreach Groups – no report this meeting
2.20
6c. Literature – no report this meeting
6d. PLI – Report to be attached Update on insurance policy Does the previous proposal (cover all UK meetings) still need discussing at a future NSC?
2.40
2.50
6e. Website & meetings list – no report this meeting
10-MINUTE BREAK (may be moved if earlier timings change)
2.55
3.05
8. Service positions vacant (20 mins) Discussion if needed; votes Key positions vacant: – Secretary – Literature Secretary – Public Liability Insurance All available service positions, including shared ones: https://codauk.org/nsc-service-positions/
3.05
3.25
9. Pre-submitted agenda items (55 mins) 10 minute each or more at Chair’s discretion; 30 second timed shares
3.25
9a. Draft Mission statement of NSC (10 minutes) Please read supporting document: NSC Members Guidelines 2022 draft for updating – for discussion.
9b. CoDA UK charity registration (10 minutes) “Where we’re up to” statement (as noted in May minutes) & discussion
9c. Agenda request, proposal: Support groups to 3 months or 13 weeks, by way of a donation, not a loan. Announce in all WhatsApp groups and to GSRs by email that 3 months/13 weeks of rent for Face to Face meetings is to be made available.
9d. Agenda request, proposal: The PLI to cover all groups or else no groups. The NSC does not enter into a legal contract between itself and the group whose payment doesn’t result in being added by the underwriters, therefore why is the NSC not providing cover across the board, whether payment is forthcoming or not?
9e. Agenda request: Safeguarding issue & emergency group conscience of Sponsorship Committee (please read supporting document) – vote required on sending out email and possibly temporary service role.
4.20
10. Groups/GSRs/Members (25 minutes) – Group reports & questions – Possible topic to discuss – lack of service in many groups
4.20
4.35
11. Any Other Business (15 minutes)
4.35
4.50
12. Agree actions onscreen so minutes can be circulated straight away (5 mins)
4.50
4.55
13. Agree date of next meeting – 5th November? (2 minutes)
4.55
4.57
9. Close – Promises and long form Serenity Prayer (5 minutes)
The following agreed proposals from recent NSC meetings may guide us in our service:
20th March 2021 NSC meeting Agenda item 1 – That the minutes to NSC meetings be limited to the proposals/votes only and relevant committee member’s reports detailing business information e.g. Treasurer’s Report/PI/Hospitals and Institutions. The minutes will include ‘dissenting voices’ which will be specifically relayed to the secretary after the vote; the comments will be attributed to the member who made them. Abstain – 0 Against – 0 In favour – 15 Motion carried
5th December 2020 NSC meeting Agenda item 15 – For this and the next NSC meeting we go with a majority vote i.e. the total of the in-favour votes is greater than the sum of the against and abstentions. The total of the votes is based on how many people are in the meeting and eligible to vote. Abstentions are made as members don’t have the confidence to make a yes or no decision so need to be accounted for. Abstain – 1 Against – 0 In favour – 9 Motion carried
5th December 2020 NSC meeting – Agenda item 7 Propose that when discussions diverge away from the agenda item, the Chair can clarify with the sharer the new discussion point and raise it as an independent AOB item added to the end of the meeting or a sub- committee to discuss the item and report back to the NSC. Abstain – 2 Against – 0 In favour – 8 Motion carried
Online meeting, video call, video conference. App for video connection on pc in office, web shots of several people on the screen
Senior Delegate Gillian A. from United Kingdom for CSC 2020
I would firstly like to recap on the introduction I delivered in my Voting Entity (VE) Report which I gave at last year’s CoDA Service Conference (CSC) in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2019.
As of August 2020, CoDA UK has approximately 105 groups, over 50 of which are in or around the London and South-East area and the rest encompassing the whole of the United Kingdom, including Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Bournemouth, Exeter, Bristol, Newcastle, Liverpool, Noddfa Penmaenmawr in North Wales and Cardigan in West Wales; in Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow; in Northern Ireland Lisnaskea, and in Ireland, Galway, Sligo and Westport – and many many more places besides. We may be a small island but we have a very big heart!
CoDA has been a presence in the UK since the beginning of the 1990s – when two original CoDA members who have since sadly passed – took their strong Fellowship beliefs (and their Higher Power) to a CoDA Retreat in Holland and returned with their inspired Experience, Strength and Hope and determination to Carry the Message of CoDA Recovery into their CoDA Groups at home. They also brought the tradition of holding annual CoDA Weekend Retreats across the UK, with only Conference Approved CoDA Literature which included the CoDA Blue Book, the CoDA 12 Steps and 12 Traditions used by them in their daily lives and especially Chapter 5 of the CoDA Blue Book.
To continue to the present day: we in the United Kingdom now have two intergroups: one in the North Intergroup North which includes this region, from Birmingham in central England up to and including Scotland and Wales, plus Northern Ireland (plus Ireland).
We also now have another intergroup in the south – LSER (London and South-East Region) recently resurrected and including at the moment the south and south-west regions of the UK, until they form their own intergroup.
We have in the past had great difficulty in encouraging people to give service but thanks to the inspirational effect of our Founders, Ken and Mary, this position has begun to improve.
Ken and Mary travelled to the UK from Phoenix, Arizona last October 2019 to deliver two full Weekend Workshops, firstly in central London at the Rudolph Steiner House and Theatre, where we had 150 CoDA members attending 8 different Workshops over two days – all on various aspects of the CoDA Programme – and the following weekend in central Liverpool at The Brink (the city’s first non-alcoholic cafe/bar) where we had 100 CoDA members there going through the CoDA 12 Steps in the CoDA Blue Book.
At both venues we had all the CoDA Approved Literature in good supply for sale to our CoDA members. The presence of Ken & Mary inspired a resurgence of the Recovery we so needed from their Experience, Strength and Hope especially after their very difficult year. We were blessed to have them with us and we all give grateful thanks for them.
We were also donated the recordings by a non-CoDA member on condition they would be on free download from our new website codauk.org. Again, with grateful thanks.
In January 2020 we had our annual mixed North Wales Noddfa Weekend Retreat which helped both old-timers and newcomers begin the new year with the CoDA Programme which brought us all Peace, Serenity and on the Saturday night Celebration of CoDA Music, Fun and Laughter – always a very joyous and healing Retreat.
This was followed on February 1st by our AGM for the National Service Committee (NSC) in central London. This was well attended and budgets, reports and plans were set for the coming year.
We have had several very active committees set up over the past months, with Communications Committee keeping everyone informed and connected (especially in these difficult times) with regular updates on current information on new Zoom Meeting details etc.
Also coming together were our new Website Committee who have set up our new website: codauk.org (our previous one crashed in May 2019 and our literature publisher kindly came to our rescue and supported us through his website), which was launched in June. Grateful thanks for this Fellowship.
Just before lockdown because of the Covid-19 outbreak, we had a Retreat in Salisbury in the south of UK and then issued guidelines on how we might overcome isolation problems by encouraging CoDA members to use Zoom, Skype, phones, texts, WhatsApp etc and to put into action the use and importance of the CoDA Literature – which I believe is the essence of CoDA Recovery – together with all the other Tools for Recovery.
The advent of the 30 Questions 1-2-3 Booklet has been a tremendous boost to help those who might feel nervous about sponsoring CoDA members, giving a marvellous easily-explained navigation of the CoDA Blue Book regarding examining Steps 1, 2 and 3 in a very comprehensive way, either one-to-one or in a Step Group. Tremendously successful tool.
Also on 15th May 2020 we began our first online Sponsorship Workshop on Zoom having previously done it face-to-face – to assist people looking for sponsors or to co-sponsor or set up Step Groups.
We also set up an Outreach WhatsApp Group, a Sponsorship WhatsApp Group, WhatsApp Group to join or start a Step Meeting, and now a WhatsApp Group to Support Sponsors having difficulties or needing some extra help. We hope that this will encourage members not to be frightened to ask for extra guidance in sponsorship service with help from more seasoned CoDA fellowship – hopefully this will increase the amount of new sponsors coming through.
Since lockdown in the UK all our meetings had to close for face-to-face meetings but the majority have opened up on-line on Zoom, Skype and phone and Step Groups have increased as well as more participation, even having visitors online from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Africa, USA , Canada and Europe plus the Middle East – we are indeed international!!!
We have found the CoDA Literature has been a Lifeline for Recovery in these difficult times and the Zoom meetings have caused a connectivity with online workshops as well as meetings bringing the CoDA Fellowship together. That might not have happened had Covid-19 not reared its ugly head. Gratitude in Abundance – Higher Power certainly works in mysterious ways!!!
The CoDA Literature: Traditionally Speaking: Finding Solutions and The 12-Piece Relationship Toolkit have been giving space for our CoDA members to reflect together in meetings and workshops and the CoDA Workbook continues to guide us through the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions in our meetings – all as wonderful recovery tools.
We look very much forward to the proposed new Booklet on the 12 CoDA Service Concepts to help inspire and guide us.
We were encouraged by the Public Information short film viewed at last year’s CSC and we have set up a new Public Information (PI) Committee who have produced some fine poster work and we still hope to get an official UK national live telephone line to answer live the Newcomer and the Codependent who still suffers.
We have made strides with our Public Liability Insurances for individual CoDA Groups and Safeguarding, plus our Policy on confidentiality of personal information (GDPR) etc.
Last year, we proposed the official acceptance of our UK Version of the Long Serenity Prayer; there was not enough time then in Atlanta on the last day for it to go through, but we were promised and hope it will be given an opportunity to be accepted this year. The words have helped so many of us here in the UK especially over these past few difficult months and that we can Carry the Message of Recovery: Appreciation, Tolerance and Strength, One Day At A Time – hopefully to all the CoDA Fellowship.
God Grant Me the Serenity. To Accept the Things I Cannot Change. Courage to Change the Things I Can. And the Wisdom to Know the Difference. Grant Me Patience with the Changes that Take Time. Appreciation of All that I Have. Tolerance of Those with Different Struggles. And the Strength to Get Up and Try Again. One Day At A Time.
As outgoing UK Delegate, I would like to thank CoDA for the privilege to serve, to have been given the honour and to have been able to receive the joy and fellowship with Recovery through Service. Thank you for the experience – for the love, kindness and acceptance shown.
I hope to be able to continue in service – hopefully possibly on the Literature Committee of which I feel passionate about or in some other capacity.
Again gratitude for the gift of the CoDA Programme of Recovery and for the very happy memories of that wonderful Atlanta welcome last September at the CSC Conference and Convention but look towards an exciting Virtual 2020 CSC this year and looking forward hopefully to Ottawa next year.
NB This is a version of the report Gillian took to CSC in August 2020, edited for the CoDA UK website.
Full width areas – to link to specific posts / pages
Your First Meeting CoDAteen is a programme for thirteen to eighteen-year-old teens (As decided by each meeting). The meeting is hosted by two adult hosts who are members of CoDA to oversee and guide the CoDAteen group – they introduce the format and support the teens in recovery. Teens conduct the meeting. See also What…
What is CoDAteen? CoDAteen, part of Co-Dependents Anonymous, is a community of young people whose common purpose is to develop healthy and loving relationships. In general, CoDAteen is for “teenagers”, ages 13 to 18 years. Each group can decide through their group conscience on the acceptable age range of attendees. CoDAteen Meetings The basic purpose…
CoDA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Tradition Nine
Information on the CoDA UK service structure will be published here.
We are looking for volunteers to give service to expand these service pages, sharing the benefits of service to our recovery, and providing a resource for fellow members to develop their service roles at personal, group, region, national and international level. Please contact codawebservice@codauk.org if you would like to be involved in developing the service pages resource.
Is your group covered for public liability insurance? Does your room rent include public liability insurance? If a meeting member had an accident at your venue and made a claim Who would the claim be made against? who would be liable to pay?
Several CoDA groups who rent rooms are unsure of the answer to both these questions and believe they are covered by their venues insurance policy. Without reading the small print of the lease and asking specific questions to the Landlord it’s not always obvious.
Without public liability insurance, the person who signs the lease on behalf of the group, in the event of a claim is personally liable to meet all costs.
In 2019, CoDA UK contacted all groups requesting they check if the rent they pay for their rooms includes Public Liability Insurance. Many groups discovered they were not covered which led to CoDA UK purchasing a group policy for those groups who wanted to be covered. Several groups later approached us and paid to be added to the policy as their venue required a copy for their landlord to continue renting out the room.
The cost for each group to be covered last year was £50 per annum. A few groups last year paid the amount over several weeks. If your group would like to purchase cover and be included in the CoDA group insurance or if you have any questions regarding the policy, please send an email to coda.uk.insurance@gmail.com before the 26th March 2020.
