Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. He registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the secretary of state, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 09 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good 19/04/2017 Full Good 18/01/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 3

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inadequate

Children’s care at this home is compromised by poor safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight. This means that children’s overall safety, progress and experiences are adversely affected.

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inadequate

Staff cannot demonstrate an understanding of children’s needs so as to ensure that their needs are met. Staff cannot demonstrate how children are supported to make progress in their lives or how they are supported to fulfil their potential.

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inadequate

Records do not show children’s journeys or experiences. The progress that children make is variable. One child is making progress despite the poor situation at the home. This child told inspectors that although he likes staff, he chooses to spend most of his time out of the home due to incidents that keep occurring at the home.

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inadequate

One child does not attend formal education. Staff do not have effective strategies in place to ensure that the child completes any educational activities. This does not support the child to reach her full educational potential.

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inadequate

One child is prescribed controlled medication. There was a delay in staff collecting this medication and staff did not escalate this to healthcare professionals. This is necessary to understand the consequences on the child’s health and well-being.

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inadequate

The provider offers children support via a therapeutic service within the organisation. However, although records demonstrate that this support is offered, it is not clear how this is included in children’s plans to help staff care for children and meet their individual needs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Safeguarding practice in this home is a significant concern and does not effectively protect children or staff from harm. The registered manager does not demonstrate that there is a strong or proactive response to managing risk and reducing harm for children and staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The risks in relation to children and staff have increased since the previous visit to the home. There has been an escalation of safeguarding incidents and staff cannot manage risk, and therefore they cannot reduce the risk of harm to children. Furthermore, records in relation to safeguarding incidents do not demonstrate a proactive response to risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children’s risk assessments do not include all known risks to children or clear strategies for staff to follow in practice to reduce risk. Furthermore, the registered Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 4 manager does not review or evaluate children’s risk assessments to ensure that staff provide safe care for children. This is particularly in relation to self-injurious behaviour, fire starting and threats to staff. This was addressed by leaders throughout the inspection. Leaders implemented immediate plans to keep children and staff safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Since the previous visit, there has been one incident of physical intervention. This incident was not managed in line with regulation. Therefore, the effectiveness of the measure was not fully assessed so that staff can understand the effectiveness of the measure or identify any improvements to their practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not understand their roles or responsibilities in keeping children safe. For example, there are delays in staff managing an allegation against staff. Therefore, the registered manager did not put any immediate safeguards in place. This failure to take any immediate action meant that children and staff were at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a suitably qualified registered manager in post. He is also registered to manage another home within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders, managers and staff fail to manage the home in line with the aims outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. The statement of purpose states that the team has experience of working with young people with these specific needs, enabling them to grow and develop while offering them a safe environment to work through their traumatic life experiences. However, the provider cannot demonstrate that staff have the necessary experience to meet children’s individual needs or provide a safe environment for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose is not sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. This is a breach in regulation and means that the regulator does not know who is currently working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager does not review practice in the home effectively, and there are missed opportunities to understand the impact that the quality of care is having on children. For example, the registered manager does not review or evaluate strategies in children’s risk assessments. Consequently, shortfalls in the care and protection provided for children are not identified. This places children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not notified Ofsted about all serious incidents in the home. This is a breach in regulation and means that the regulator cannot effectively monitor incidents in the home to ensure that children and staff are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not met the requirements from the previous visit. This does not demonstrate that he has made improvements to the quality of care that children receive. Repeat requirements are therefore made. Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 5 Leaders addressed some of the immediate shortfalls at the inspection. However, the shortfalls highlighted demonstrate poor leadership and management practice that has compromised the experiences and progress of the children living in this home. This poor practice has had a negative impact on the ability of staff to protect children from harm and reach their full potential. Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 6

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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 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 homes aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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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 and neglect; and

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to ensuring that staff consistently meet children’s needs as identified in their plans. 18 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 18 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to the provider ensuring that children’s educational needs are met. If children do not attend education, then staff need to provide them with educational experiences.

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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

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 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; 06 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 8 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager needs to ensure that children have updated risk assessments that include all known risks and strategies to manage risk. Furthermore, the provider needs to ensure that all staff have the skills to take action to keep children and staff safe.

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Requirement Due date

*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

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; 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager needs to ensure that he manages the home in line with the statement of purpose. He needs to ensure that he has effective oversight of incidents so that he can ensure that staff are meeting children’s needs. Furthermore, the manager needs to ensure that he reviews 06 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 9 and evaluates children’s plans to identify any triggers or patterns to children’s behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 18 April 2022

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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 in 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

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

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 18 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

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. 18 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 10 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;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 18 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 11 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 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))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1225371 13 regulates and inspects 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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