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theother-will-grayson · 5 years ago

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The Marathon

Fandom: Scrubs

Ship: Jdox

Word count: 2,777

Notes: So yeah uhhh if you didn’t know, this is an old ass blog and I am still officially a Scrubs stan, so if this is a surprise to you...I’m sorry. Here’s a little Jdox oneshot because my rewatch is giving me feels.

Summary: One hard night at the hospital brings two pining doctors together.

Also on FFN and AO3

JD wasn’t the most athletic guy growing up, and he certainly wasn’t anymore, but from 7th grade until he graduated high school, he participated in a horrible, deadly, thrilling sport called cross country. Initially, it had been the bright idea of his optimistic father in a fit of wishful thinking. Optimistic, because 7th grade JD looked like a stiff breeze could give him a panic attack, and the thought of running in front of people in the woods nearly made him go catatonic. But as time went on, he realized it helped a lot with stress and anxiety, whether he was any good at it or not.

There was this race, hosted by the Minooka Mountain Lions. It was the longest course in the conference. High school kids ran 5ks, or about 3.1 miles, but by middle school standards, the winding 1.8 miles of Minooka Park’s trails may as well have been a marathon. And at the end, a hundred scrawny twelve year olds were expected to drag themselves up a hill that seemed to shoot straight into the sky before shoving themselves across the finish line at a dead sprint. The year asthmatic, skinny, pale JD, pre-puberty and all elbows and knees, joined the team, it was the first race of the season, so they all had about a week and a half of conditioning under their belts. It was like asking toddlers to conquer Europe.

The race day came, no matter how much Johnny begged it not to. The gun went off, he jogged a bit and then walked on and off for, like, a mile, and when he turned the corner out of the woods and saw the most legendary sledding hill in the county looming over him, he fully stopped at the foot of the hill, not even noticing the parents screaming encouragements or the equally skinny and asthmatic competitors passing him. He simply stared up at the slope, awed by its incline.

That’s how he felt staring at a 12 hour on-call shift on Christmas Eve with Dr. Cox, a board member in the ICU, 4 car accident victims, one of which had already coded twice, and a young man desperately awaiting a kidney. It was the same feeling, only this time he didn’t start puking Gatorade so violently that his dad had to run onto the course and help him to a porta-potty while a coach directed traffic around his stinking lunch.

At least, not yet.

The door to the on-call room swung open, a figure standing in the door frame, and his heart was in that race again, fleeing his chest in a panic

In a rare moment of Christmas spirit, Kelso had granted a small splurge for some fairy lights in a few places around the hospital. Their twinkling light cascaded through the open door and cast Doctor Cox’s sharp silhouette in a gentle glow. JD had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

“Let’s get to work, Newbie.”

The hill loomed.

JD barely registered what he was doing, his world becoming a blur of rooms, beds, faces, charts, pens, needles, and Perry. Perry wasn’t blurry. Perry’s hand was on his shoulder, Perry’s eyebrows were furrowed as he wrote, Perry didn’t even blink while tossing JD a chart. And every time he got a chance to finally close his eyes, it seemed like only seconds later that Perry was shaking him awake, helping him to his feet. God, his feet. He just wanted to get off his feet.

Despite the rants and the fights and the distinct lack of affection that JD caught himself daydreaming about, they made a good team. One to think and process, one to bark for efficiency. One to feel, and one to do. One to ground the other. They had to snap at each other, shove charts in each other’s faces, whistle, touch, anything to keep one another focused. Suddenly the hill was muddy. JD was injured, Perry was barely awake, someone was shooting at them, and they were dragging each other up the slope, JD screaming for bandages —

Just a dumb fantasy. Focus, JD. No, don’t. You’re in a brief moment of blessed peace. Savor it. He tilted his head back against the wall, just wishing he could sit, but knowing the trip to the break room would only waste his precious respite. Perry was handing him coffee.

And then, his pager. Perry’s pager. They locked eyes as they recognized the room number.

Zoe.

Among all the christmas bustle there was one of the usual snow related accidents on the freeway. A little 7 year old girl had been in the pileup. Her 16 year old brother, Charlie, had been behind the wheel driving in his first snow. He was dealing with broken ribs and internal bleeding, but he looked like he was going to pull through. Zoe had been touch and go for a while, but she had seemed stable enough. What the hell had happened? He abandoned his coffee without hesitation. Charging towards her room, all JD could think about was how young she was, how guilty her brother had felt about the whole thing and how relieved he’d been when he’d found out she was stable.

She wasn’t dead yet.

JD pushed every thought that wasn’t do this now out of his head as he sprinted down the hall, his stethoscope bouncing on his chest, running on his toes, muddy tennis shoes digging into the earth and bounding up tree roots like stairs…

“Starting CPR.”

It was probably going to rebreak her ribs but he didn’t care. Broken ribs are common when bending them two inches past their normal state, especially when they’re barely healed on a little girl.

He was sweating from the effort of the compressions. His heart was pounding. He found himself wishing for the magical ability to transfer his racing heartbeat to this little girl, to give her his shallow breaths.

“C’mon…” He was climbing uphill, carrying Zoe on his back. She was heavier than she looked. His lungs burned, his calves screamed, but he pressed on. The end was so close.

But medicine isn’t a race. There’s no finish line that you have to push for, no giant timer telling you your level of success, no string of plastic flags to funnel you into the blessed end. Saving lives has a time limit. If you’re not fast enough, the finish line disappears.

Zoe ran out of time.

He slumped to the floor outside the room. Doctor Cox stood above him. “Can’t win ‘em all, Newbie.”

All he could do was rejoice in being off his feet.

He could feel Perry’s eyes on him as he decided whether he wanted to listen to the half of his brain that begged for sleep, or the half that knew he didn’t deserve it. For a moment, it almost seemed like Dr. Cox could hear those voices too, or at least could identify the outward signs. Either way, he simply said, “Go home.”

JD couldn’t even muster the energy to express his surprise. He had come to expect baiting and tricks from his unwilling mentor, but for once he seemed genuine. He hauled himself to his feet again. God. “Merry Christmas, Doctor Cox.” And that was the closest they would get to a fanfare, to a roaring crowd praising them for collapsing across the finish line.

The sliding doors opened to greet his approach and a gust of wind dusted a few flakes of snow onto the carpeted entrance. The asphalt had already been salted, leaving goopy gray puddles of slush that squished and splashed in grainy chunks beneath his sneakers. But beyond the parking lot, outside the perimeter of the hospital, the snow glinted off the trees colored by dancing Christmas lights.

His mind wandered to his apartment, to Turk and Carla, who were already asleep in the apartment. They would wake up only a few hours after he got home, ready to celebrate and smile and laugh with their favorite third wheel.

He thought about that warmth, that contentment, that boost that he couldn’t bring himself to believe he deserved, and decided he wasn’t ready to leave.

Suddenly invigorated, JD about-faced and power-walked to the nurse’s station, filled with anxious adrenaline that he knew was a sprint and could only last a moment.

“Where’s Doctor Cox?”

The nurse pointed, and before he could stop himself, JD had flung open the door to the on-call room. Breathless, he wondered if the lights silhouetted him the way they had Doctor Cox mere hours ago. He’d been breathless then, too.

“Belinda, what are you —”

“Is anyone else in here?” He was stalling — he knew the answer.

“Not a soul. Newbie —”

JD shut the door behind him, at a loss for what the hell to do next.

“Sasha, you’d better go ahead and tell me what the hell is happening or so help me —”

“I don’t want to go home.”

Silence. JD cringed, realizing how childish he sounded. But that was just it. He felt like a child, reduced to basic emotions of tired, frustrated, sad. He couldn’t express anything else. Not that he should, even if he were able. He couldn’t just say, “Kiss me so I know that everything will be okay.” Like most things, that was better left in his head.

“Come here.”

JD obeyed semi-consciously. Dr. Cox’s warm hands connected with his shoulders, their heat spreading through his veins like ink in water and guiding him toward one of the beds. JD had a brief flash of clarity, realizing he was about to be tucked in. Child, his brain scolded. He ignored it, toeing off his shoes and folding himself under the thin blankets.

Dr. Cox sat on the edge of the bed, half on and half off. The sight of his profile, curved forehead, elegant nose, full lips, strong jaw, outlined against the navy darkness behind him took JD’s breath away. With all the running and the shoulder touching and closeness, he hadn’t even taken a moment to question why Dr. Cox hadn’t already put his foot up JD’s ass. Before he could dwell on it, let alone say anything, Perry’s fingers were in his hair and every one of JD’s brain functions stalled.

“It’s been a while since this job got to you, huh? Yeah I think you’re about due for a breakdown.”

His throat felt thick. Despite finally being in bed, off duty, off his feet, JD felt less like relaxing and more like crying.

“Now, me, I had mine last week, a few days after Jordan finally decided to leave for good. So I’m a solid rock. Whatever you need, Newbie, I’m here.”

All he could do was nod.

Dr. Cox sighed, the soothing motion of his fingers combing through JD’s hair as steady as his presence ever was. “What I’m saying there, Newbie, is that there’s no shame in letting go and breaking down, as long as you’re still ready to put your dukes up the next day and take some more punches.”

So he let go.

He had cried in front of his reluctant mentor several times, but never like this. These weren’t angry tears or exhausted tears or frustrated tears. These were all of the above, shoved down for god knows how long. And Dr. Cox endured it, scratching gently at the short hairs on the back of his neck and not saying a word. Minutes passed, and JD felt his mind coming back to him, along with the clarity he needed to be embarrassed. He sat up, shoving the heels of his hands into his eyes as if trying to force the tears to stop flowing. Dr. Cox gripped his wrists and pulled them away.

“Sorry,” JD said. Whether he was apologizing for the tears or the self-abuse, he did not know. He reclaimed his hands, which felt heavier than he remembered, and lifted the sleeve of his scrubs to wipe his eyes.

“Maggie, if you didn’t gather from my highly out of character kind speech from before your little sobfest that you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, I’ll repeat it in a way that you can understand.” Perry gripped JD’s chin, and oh how he wanted that to be real affection. “This. Place. Sucks. And no matter how thick your skin is, this hellhole is going to get to you. Bottling it up will drive you crazy, Newbie. Take it from someone who knows.”

“...Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Of course. What an odd response to a thank you. As if JD shouldn’t expect anything less.

It was then that JD realized that Perry had let go of his chin, but their faces were still achingly close. He could feel Perry’s breath on his lips, beckoning him closer. It was so tempting to reach forward and kiss him, not in some fireworks display first kiss full of romance novel heat and passion, but to just kiss him once on the lips, once on the neck, and just fall asleep in his arms as if they’d been lovers for years.

The unusual comfort and warmth was getting to him. He was drunk on the affection and everything felt so twisted, but he was spellbound, unable to move away. Only closer.

And closer

And—

Dr. Cox put a hand on his chest. “Newbie—”

“No,” he interrupted firmly. “No more excuses.”

And just like that, they connected. It wasn’t a fireworks display, but it wasn’t familiar either. It was easy, natural, electric. Like he was meeting Perry Cox for the first time. It was that final sprint, pushing everything he had into gaining seconds. It almost snuck up on him. One second he was enjoying the scent of Perry’s cologne up close and the next they were gripping each other’s faces, enraptured by the taste of one another. For a few unending moments, they couldn’t get enough of each other. For a few brief infinites, they gave into the absolute irresistibility of one another, the magnetism that they had fought for so long. And like magnets, they clicked into place.

And then they parted, slowly, achingly. Their lips hovered centimeters apart as they tried to breathe in one last taste.

JD pursed his lips, his head swimming as he fought for the courage to speak. “I…” just do it, Dorian. “Um, I have feelings for you.”

A tense pause. And then, he laughed. Doctor Cox actually laughed, and JD froze.

“That’s your glorious love confession?” Perry said, still grinning against his lips. “‘I have feelings for you?’ Surely after years of pining you can come up with something better than that.”

JD felt like an idiot. Of course. Of course Doctor Cox didn’t reciprocate. This is why he didn’t say anything for so long, because he knew it would turn out this way. All thought was replaced with action. He panicked and pulled Perry in for another passionate kiss, one he couldn’t escape from. Just keep kissing, pretend it never happened.

He seemed to gain ground for a moment before Perry shook off his surprise and pulled away, ducking another attack.

“JD,” He said. “I have feelings for you too, they’re complicated, messy feelings, but there’s no use denying them anymore.

JD felt the breath leave his body. “Really?”

A chuckle and a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Give me a chance to speak before you panic next time.”

Next time. There would be a next time. JD had been waiting for this moment since the first day of his internship. Perry Cox was confessing his feelings while kissing him in the on-call room, and suddenly he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. They clicked into place once again, grinning against each other’s lips. JD sprung forward, and they fell together, tumbling and laughing and kissing and feeling and lifting shirt hems and grabbing skin and—

“Not here, Newbie.” The nickname had never sounded so sweet. “Not now.” He granted JD a kiss. “Soon, I promise. But not in this dump.”

JD wanted so badly to protest, but he was so goddamn tired, and Perry’s arms looked so inviting. His face fit perfectly in the crook of his harm, and fingers came to ruffle his hair briefly, but JD didn’t let them leave. Perry chuckled and obeyed, gently scratching at JD’s scalp until his eyes could barely stay open.

Every shift at the hospital felt like a race, filled with hills and obstacles. But Perry...Perry had been a marathon. And it felt so good to cross the finish line.

#fanfiction #jdox #scrubs #jdxperry

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cefsocialwork · 8 years ago

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Adoption Service Statement of Purpose

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. This Statement of Purpose has been written in accordance with underpinning legislation, the Local Authority Adoption Service (England) 2003 and the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005.

1.2. It has also been written in accordance with Standard 18 of the National Minimum Standards 2011 for Adoption Services.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SERVICE

2.1. Aims

To achieve positive outcomes for children so that they can achieve their full potential

To safeguard, support and promote the best interests of children through the provision of adoption services that ensure permanent, secure and effective care for children where adoption is in the best interests of the child. In doing this, to also ensure that other parties to the adoption process are aware of how their needs can potentially be met

To ensure the provision of a consistent and high quality adoption service to all participants in the adoption process

To provide services so that delay is avoided

2.2. Objectives

To ensure that children for whom adoption is the plan are placed in a timely way with adopters who will meet their lifelong needs

To provide a range of placements for use through our regional adoption consortium Adoption 22 and the National Adoption Register that will meet the needs of children by targeting recruitment appropriately in conjunction with other Adoption 22 members

To promote equality and diversity in the Adoption Service

To recruit adopters using a variety of methods within Bolton and in partnership with Adoption 22 colleagues

To provide full and appropriate assessments of prospective adopters and children to Panels

To prepare, train and support adopters through the process of matching and placement

To provide an adoption support plan for all children who are to be placed for adoption and review that plan regularly

To arrange post placement adoptive support as assessed and prescribed by regulations and standards

To provide post adoption support to children and adoptive families based on the assessed need and to develop positive relationships with partner agencies who will also be able to help

To provide support to birth families whose children are being placed for adoption through the provision of an independent support service where appropriate

To provide support to birth families in relation to contact arrangements

To provide a service to adopted adults who wish to access their records

To provide an intermediary service to adopted adults who have traced their birth family

To be accessible to those service users who wish to use the service. To provide professional support to the Panels to help in their work

To work with Social Workers from other teams and agencies to ensure appropriate placements are identified

To provide an indirect contact system whereby information can be exchanged between adoptive parents, children and birth parents (known as the ‘letterbox’)

3. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

3.1. Every effort will be made to place a child in a family of the same race and cultures to enable the child to have a positive sense of identity and self- esteem and to have positive role models.

3.2. For children of dual, diverse or minority heritage it is important to identify the elements of the child’s heritage that will assist in prioritising their individual needs. This will inform family finding and matching. Where a family of the same or similar heritage cannot be found quickly, the child will be matched with a family who can meet their other needs and who can help the child to value and understand their heritage.

3.3. For inter-country adoptions the department has a contract with Adoption Matters.

3.4. For service users of the Adoption Service every effort will be made to ensure effective communication. Interpreters and other support services are available to help with communication.

3.5. For children with complex health needs every effort will be made to ensure a family is found to meet their needs. This includes using adoption agencies outside Adoption 22.

3.6. As part of adoption support, as much help as possible will be offered to give the child the best possible chance of achieving their maximum potential.

3.7. The adoption service has a contract with ‘Caritas Care’ to have priority access to adopters recruited by this VAA which provides a significant number of families for Bolton children.

3.8. The adoption process is explained in a child-friendly way through our Children’s Guide.

3.9. The department has a contract with ‘Action for Children’ to provide a children’s rights and advocacy service for looked after children.

4. SERVICES TO CHILDREN

4.1. The Department provides services for children requiring adoption. The responsibility for identifying adoption as the appropriate plan for a child is primarily with District Social Workers who work within the care planning and Court process.

4.2. The Adoption Agencies (Panel and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2012 introduced changes from the 1st September 2012. Only children with a plan for adoption where no application for a Placement Order is required need to be presented to the Adoption Panel.

In all other cases when an adoption plan is considered there is a timetabled process (within 26 weeks) concluding with the decision of the Agency Decision Maker and the outcome presented to Court.

This process is timetabled to minimise delay and also ensure that decisions are based on full and relevant information.

The Adoption Social Worker is involved at an early stage to start to gather information for family finding.

4.3. Close joint work between the child’s social worker and the Adoption Social Worker continues with the task of family finding.

4.4. The search for a family begins within the Adoption 22 regional consortium.

If an appropriate family is not found quickly within the consortium, the search immediately spreads wider to voluntary adoption agencies and the Adoption Register.

Use of appropriate publications will also be pursued to find an appropriate family.

Delegated authority for funding costs of family finding is with the Head of Service ensuring there is no delay.

4.5. When a prospective adoptive family is identified, the child’s CPR and the PAR are presented to the Adoption Panel and Agency Decision Maker for agreement.

The joint work continues through discussion, sharing of information, planning

of the placement and the introductions process.

4.6. Once the child is placed, it is the responsibility of the child’s Social Worker to support the placement alongside the Social Worker for the adoptive family.

4.7. The child’s Social Worker will ensure that each child has a Life Story book which gives them an easy to understand explanation of the circumstances which led to their becoming ‘looked after’ and being placed for adoption. Foster parents can help significantly with the preparation of a Life Story book.

The child’s Social Worker will also ensure that each child has a ‘later life letter’ which expands on the information provided in the life story book

5. RECRUITMENT, PREPARATION AND ASSESSMENT OF ADOPTIVE PARENTS, APPROVAL AND SUPPORT

5.1. The Department seeks to recruit adoptive parents to enable the commitment to Adoption 22 to be fulfilled as part of a reciprocal arrangement. This is to ensure that as many children as possible can be found appropriate adoptive parents within the North West Region.

5.2. Adoption applicants are usually required to attend a Preparation Course run by the Adoption Team so that they can have a clear understanding about what adoption involves and can consider whether it is something they wish to pursues.

5.3. An assessment is then undertaken by a member of the Adoption Team. To ensure there is no delay in starting assessments, additional suitably qualified social workers are commissioned where necessary. The information gathered during assessment is then presented to the Adoption Panel who will make their recommendation. The applicants are fully involved in the assessment which is an open process. Applicants are encouraged to attend Panel. Timescales for assessments are in accordance with Regulations and National Minimum Standards.

5.4. Post placement support to the Department’s adoptive parents is provided primarily by their assessing Social Worker and the child’s Social Worker. This includes a potential to refer for more specialist services.

6. ADOPTION SUPPORT

6.1. Post adoption support services are available to a range of potential service users. They are designed to be accessible and also to be seen as a positive contribution by, for example, adoptive parents.

6.2. Adoptive parents will be given clear information as to the detail of the support that is available to them both before and after the Adoption Order so that they can access these services as required. These services will include individual support, ongoing training, specialist groups looking at behaviour management, regular support groups, social events and liaison with other agencies.

6.3. To facilitate this, positive working relationships have been developed with other agencies, particularly health, CAMHS and education.

6.4. Adopted adults will be offered birth records counselling and then access to their birth records. They will also be given help and support if they wish to make contact with their birth family through the intermediary service the Department now provides.

6.5. The adoption support team manages the indirect, letterbox arrangements that exist between adoptive parents and birth family members or others who are important to the child. The team offers support to birth parents in this process and this is a developing part of the service.

6.6. Birth parents can also receive independent support in relation to adoption through Caritas Care with whom the Department has a contract.

7. ADOPTION PANELS

7.1. There are two Adoption Panels with three main functions:

To consider whether an adoptive applicant should be approved to care for children.

To consider prospective matches between children and adoptive parents.

To consider plans for adoption of children where no application for a Placement Order is made.

The recommendations made by the Panels in relation to the above are then considered by the Assistant Director, Staying Safe, who is the Agency Decision Maker.

7.2. The composition of the Panels reflects regulation requirements

The Panels are chaired by an Independent Chair, Jenny Booker, who is a qualified Social Worker with 40 years’ experience. She has worked within Local Authorities, a Voluntary Agency and Social Services Inspectorate. This has included experience as a Social Worker, Team Manager and Senior Manager.

From 2003 to 2006, she worked for the Department for Education and Skills as professional advisor to the Adoption Policy Team. She has also worked in

CSCI and Ofsted inspecting safeguarding and looked after children services. She has been a Panel member or Chair most of the time since 1977.

There are two vice chairs.

The Panels include a Council Member, District Managers, the medical advisor, adoptive parents, adopted adults, educational psychologist, an emotional health practitioner, a foster carer, a substance misuse worker, social workers and other independent members.

The Panel are advised by the Council’s legal advisor and the adoption agency advisors who are the Adoption Team Manager and the Deputy Team Manager.

8. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND STAFFING

8.1. The registered agency provider is Bolton Council Children’s Services. The

responsible individual and decision maker is

John Daly Assistant Director (Staying Safe) Bolton Council Children’s Service Paderborn House Howell Croft North Civic Centre Bolton BL1 1JW

He has social work and management qualifications and 35 years’ experience of children and families work, including 13 years at a senior level and 4 years in his current post.

8.2. The Head of Service (Children’s Resources) is Tom O’Loughlin. He has a degree, the social work qualification and a Diploma in Applied Social Studies and 37 years’ experience of children and families work, 8 years in his current post.

8.3. The Team Manager for the Adoption Team is Jules Clarke. She has been employed in Children’s Services since 1985. She has worked in children’s homes and secure units in safeguarding and in family placement, both as a social work practitioner and manager. She has significant experience of adoption work. She has been in her current post for 19 months.

She also has experience of lecturing, writing and research. She has a degree in Psychology, the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, the Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Social Studies, the Diploma in Family Placement and the Practice Teachers Award.

She is currently studying for the level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services. (England)

Jules Clarke is also the designated Adoption Support Service Advisor (ASSA).

The Adoption Team has a full time Deputy Manager. She has 20 years’ experience in child care including experience in safeguarding, care proceedings as a District Social Worker and as part of the Adoption Team. She has the Qualification in Social Work and the PQ Child Care Award. She has been the Deputy Manager for 9 months.

These managers together with the Adoption Team are based at:

Bolton Council Children’s Services Castle Hill Centre Castleton Street Tonge Moor Bolton BL2 2JW

8.4. The Adoption Service has a Senior Practitioner who has over 33 years experience of working with children and families (18 years as a qualified social worker). She has 13 years working in the field of adoption including an adoption team, a specialist adoption support team in CAMHS, and her current post working in adoption support.

8.5. The Service has, in total (including the Senior Practitioner) 7 full time equivalent qualified Social Worker posts.

Recently an additional half time post (18.5 hours) has been added to strengthen the service. This new post has not yet been filled.

8.6. The Senior Practitioner and one Social Worker provide adoption support services. The other Social Workers in the service provide a range of adoption services.

8.7. The seven Social Workers (including the Senior Practitioner) currently in post all have the Social Work Qualification and six have the PQ Child Care Award. They have significant experience of children and families and adoption work.

8.8. All members of the adoption service are registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council.

8.9. Appendix 1 is a structure chart for the service.

9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF SERVICES

9.1. The Department’s Performance section oversees the collection of statistical and other data on adoption in line with Department for Education requirements. Performance indicators used include numbers of placements, adoption orders, timescales for adoption and disruption information. This information is presented to Panels and to the Department’s Senior Management and Executive Members at the prescribed intervals.

9.2. Internal information is also collected on the recruitment of adopters and associated information to ensure compliance with National Standards.

9.3. The effectiveness and quality of assessments is overseen by the managers of the service and through supervision. Allocation and tracking of adoption work, in line with the Department’s other services, is subject to audit. The Adoption Panels scrutinise assessments to ensure they make fully informed recommendations and there is an Annual Report and quarterly reports of performance.

9.4. Other services provided by the team in respect of support to adopters, birth families, children adopted and adults who have been adopted are overseen by the managers of the service and through supervision. Supervision standards in the Department require minimum monthly supervision meetings, recorded and agreed, including decisions relating to service users.

9.5. Services commissioned by the Department such as placements, post adoption support and services to birth parents and adults who have been adopted are reviewed through contract setting, monitoring and review mechanisms. The Department has a Contracts Officer to assist with this process.

9.6. There is a focus on achieving good outcomes for children and young people, through monitoring all aspects of their development during the adoption process. There is also a focus on stability, minimising disruptions and, when disruptions occur, there is a clear process for reviewing and learning any lessons for future work.

10. COMPLAINTS

10.1. The Department has a full and comprehensive complaints procedure compliant with the Children Act (1989) and Complaints Procedure Directions (1990).

10.2. Complaints may be made by any member of the public dissatisfied with the service they receive. The objectives of the Department’s procedures are to give service users the opportunity to be heard, offered reconciliation and have their complaint dealt with in a more formal way.

10.3. The stages of the Procedure are:- To provide informal redress and reconciliation as soon as staff and managers are aware of dissatisfaction

Stage 1 - to have the complaint dealt with by the relevant manager

Stage 2 - if Stage 1 does not resolve the issue, an independent person may be appointed to review the complaint and action taken, investigate the complaint and make recommendations to the Department

Stage 3 - if Stage 2 does not provide resolution, for the complaint to be heard before a Panel independently chaired with other members from the Authority and with Councillor representation. The Panel makes its recommendations to the Director.

10.4. Complainants may take their case to the Ombudsman if they continue to be aggrieved, and are so informed.

10.5. All complaints from Stage 1 to 3 are overseen and the process managed by the Customer Relations Section of the Department.

10.6. Complaints may be made to the manager of the Adoption Service or the Customer Relations Officer at:-

BMBC Children’s Services Department Paderborn House Bolton Tel: 01204 332007

10.7. Complainants also have the right to make their complaint direct to their local councillor. Their contact details can be obtained from:-

Members’ Secretariat Town Hall Bolton BL1 1RU Tel: 01204 331098.

10.8 The Department commissions a Children’s Rights & Advocacy Service from

‘Action for Children’, Breightmet Street, Bolton BL2 1BR. Tel: 01204 362002

15 10.9 Children / Young People can also contact

The Office of The Children’s Rights Director, Ofsted, Aviation House, 125 Kingwsay, London WC2B 6SE

Freephone 0800 528 0731

11. INSPECTION AND REGISTRATION OF THE ADOPTION SERVICE 11.1. This is carried out by:

OFSTED (Social Care) Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Telephone: 0300 123 1231 Email: [email protected]

This Statement of Purpose was updated on the 17th December 2012 and will be reviewed regularly.

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