Children's Home run by Pinnacle Care Provisions Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 1

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Pinnacle Care Provisions Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social or emotional difficulties. At the time of the visit, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who registered with Ofsted in February 2022.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on the 21 June 2022. Following this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home, with immediate effect from 22 June 2022 until 14 September 2022.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, inspectors confirmed that the registered provider had complied with the conditions in the notice.

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This monitoring visit

Risk management plans have been reviewed and changes have been made to improve the format of these. However, risk management plans do not detail all the known risks for children. Staff are not yet provided with sufficiently clear guidance to manage children’s risks and behaviours. Furthermore, not all staff have signed children’s plans, which does not provide evidence that they know and understand how to support children and keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not supporting children by providing them with consistent or effective boundaries. Managers and staff have not provided children with appropriate routines or structure, which does not help them to feel safe or cared for. Staff have struggled Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 2 to develop positive relationships with children and have not received clear guidance to help them manage the challenging group dynamic within the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has implemented an improved format for monitoring significant incidents in the home. Through this monitoring, the manager has identified some areas of staff practice which need to be improved. However, the manager has not taken further action following this. The identified improvements have not been discussed with staff or have resulted in changes to children’s individual plans.

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This monitoring visit

Medication is now being stored safely in the home. However, the revised medication processes are still not sufficiently robust. Children’s medication is not being administered in line with the prescription guidance. Furthermore, clerical errors have not been identified by staff or managers when they have completed medication audits. This does not provide evidence that processes are robust and will safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

Supervision practice in the home is inconsistent and is not supporting the development of good practice. The manager has now received supervision. However, they have not been provided with a written copy of their notes. This will not help them to reflect or improve on their practice. Records of supervision sessions for staff were inaccurate, which does not demonstrate good oversight. Some new staff members have not had a supervision with their manager. This is a missed opportunity to identify and address the support needs of new staff members.

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This monitoring visit

There have been some improvements to the home environment since the last visit. However, despite implementing a new cleaning checklist, standards of cleanliness are still not acceptable. There remain concerns about the safe storage of food and cleanliness in food preparation areas. Furthermore, there were some hazards in the home environment which were identified during this visit. Managers took immediate action to address the identified concerns. However, managers and staff have not demonstrated that they are able to assess the health and safety of the environment effectively.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, inspectors did not look at the requirements and recommendations that were made at the last visit.

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This monitoring visit

A case review was held following this visit. It was the decision of the case review that the restriction of accommodation notice should remain in place. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/06/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 4

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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, the 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 5 the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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 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; and 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 6 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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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

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

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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 4 September 2022

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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. 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed; (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children’s local authority care plans are received and implemented in the home. Further to this, ensure that other relevant plans, such as education, health and care plans, are also implemented within the home.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(c)) 4 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 8 Specifically, ensure that there is written consent for the use of door sensors and that this is risk assessed and used for the purpose of safeguarding children. Further to this, ensure that tracking applications installed on children’s mobile phones are only done so with the correct written authority and that this is regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff records contain a full employment history. 4 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 9 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the registered manager receives regular supervision from an appropriately qualified individual. Further to this, ensure that staff receive regular supervision that is in line with the home’s supervision policy.

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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.

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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;

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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; 4 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 10 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that financial sanctions clearly state the duration of the sanction and how this must be repaid. Further to this, ensure that records of sanctions include the effectiveness of the sanction used.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that records of restraint contain all of the detail required by legislation, particularly when there are multiple restraints in one incident.

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 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)(b)(e)) 4 September 2022

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 11 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4).  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38).

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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: 2653112 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pinnacle Care Provisions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 507, 275 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EL

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Inspectors

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Miss Louise Redfern, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2653112 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

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