Children's home run by Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 1

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Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children‟s home provides care for up to 48 children and young people, irrespective of gender, who have learning and physical disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the home‟s progress following the previous inspection when the home was judged to be inadequate. The visit involved monitoring performance against three compliance notices: Regulation 6: the quality and purpose of care standard; Regulation 13: the leadership and management standard; and Regulation 23: medicines; and eight requirements. In addition, a restriction of accommodation notice was served.

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This monitoring visit

Following the last inspection, the registered manager has worked with commissioners, parents and social workers to identify new homes for a number of the children and young people. Some of these children and young people have now moved on and some are due to move on.

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This monitoring visit

Progress has been made in improving the living conditions and care of one young person where inspectors had raised significant concerns about the quality of care previously provided. A multi-agency meeting has taken place to better safeguard this young person‟s deteriorating health condition and emotional well-being. This young person is receiving care from a more stable staff team; plans and protocols are now being followed.

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This monitoring visit

As a direct result of children and young people moving on, there has been a reduction in the use of agency staff. Inspectors noted that some children and young people continue to be cared for by a high number of agency staff. However, the registered manager has worked to ensure that there is some consistency in the agency staff used. This means that some children and young people are becoming Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 2 more familiar with agency staff.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment of new staff is taking place, and the registered manager predicts a further significant reduction in the use of agency staff by the end of the year. However, the restriction notice remains in place to offer the registered manager further time to create and demonstrate security and stability in his staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found progress being made to ensure the safe administration of medication. One incident relating to an agency nurse failing to follow protocol has occurred since the last inspection. A comprehensive and thorough investigation has taken place and there was no impact on the young person. This compliance notice has been met.

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This monitoring visit

The approach to managing safeguarding concerns has improved. The few notifiable events that have occurred since the full inspection have been well documented and reported in line with Regulation 40.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has produced a detailed action plan in response to the three compliance notices and requirements made at the last inspection. Inspectors found sufficient evidence to indicate that progress is being made across all the requirements.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager acknowledges that there remains significant work still to take place to ensure that all the children and young people living in the home are provided with good-quality, safe care. Therefore, all requirements will be assessed at the next inspections.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/09/2018 Full Inadequate 06/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/11/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 08/10/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 4 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) Children‟s case records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 08/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children‟s home‟s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child‟s privacy or access to any area of the home‟s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 08/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

*The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 08/10/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 5 use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child‟s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that— Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 6 relates to the child‟s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and

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Requirement Due date

satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

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Requirement Due date

is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii)(d)(3)(a) (b)(c)(i)(ii)) Fire precautions

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In this regulation, “the fire and rescue authority” means the fire and rescue authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004(b) for the area in which the home is located. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)(3)) 08/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 08/10/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 7 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (10(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e)) Notification of a serious event

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to 14/12/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 8 a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) Behaviour management and discipline

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1)) 14/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‟s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 08/10/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 9 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. 08/10/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 10 Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which—

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Requirement Due date

is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and

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Requirement Due date

may be safely self-administered by that child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(a)(b)) Staffing of children‟s homes

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children‟s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1)) 14/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‟s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT

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Inspector(s)

Linda Bond, social care inspector Mrs Chaplin, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1243958 12 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children‟s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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