Children's Home run by Nurture Childcare Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 1 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned by a private organisation and provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no manager at the home and the post is vacant.

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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: 2645878 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 3

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inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and in leadership and management arrangements at this home. This has had a negative impact on children’s safety, experiences and progress. The experiences and progress of children living at the home are poor. Staff do not have access to children’s relevant plans, such as local authority plans. Therefore, managers and staff do not understand children’s individual needs and are not providing children with well-planned care that addresses their needs and promotes their safety and well-being. One child attends college; however, staff spoken to did not know what the child is studying or what college the child attends. Another child does not attend education and staff are not helping the child to return to education. Therefore, staff are not supporting children to achieve their full potential. Matching assessments are poor. Leaders and managers do not consider how staff

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inadequate

can manage risks in relation to children. Staff do not talk to children about new children who move into the home. This could mean that children do not feel included in decisions about who they live with. This could have an impact on children’s relationships with each other. Staff do not support children to develop skills and strategies to manage their own feelings and emotions. This does not help children to build emotional resilience and positive self-esteem.

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

There are serious and widespread shortfalls in safeguarding and behaviour management practice. These shortfalls are having a significant negative effect on children’s overall safety and welfare. Staff do not know or understand children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Therefore, staff are not taking effective action to reduce these risks. For example, staff spoken to did not understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children. This is particularly in relation to sexually harmful behaviour. Staff do not respond appropriately to risk. Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff are aware of children’s individual risks and relevant plans. Relevant plans are not updated with essential information and do not identify effective strategies to reduce risks. Staff do not provide children with clear and consistent boundaries. Staff do not have effective strategies to follow in practice to manage incidents and reduce risks.

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

The use of physical restraint is a significant concern. Leaders and managers do not ensure that records of restraint are completed accurately and in line with regulation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 4 Records do not demonstrate that restraint is carried out in line with the relevant guidance. This does not safeguard children or ensure that restraints are used only as a last resort. Leaders and managers do not take effective action when allegations are made. There is poor communication with safeguarding professionals. Leaders and managers do not record actions taken or outcomes when investigations are undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management arrangements in the home are poor and ineffective. There is no registered manager in post, and the responsible individual told inspectors that she too has recently resigned. The provider has not taken sufficient action to ensure that alternative leadership and management arrangements are in place. Staff rosters do not demonstrate that there are sufficient staff to provide care for children. The staff who are working at the home do not have the relevant experience and skills to provide care for children as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Leaders and managers have not ensured that children have relevant plans that detail children’s individual needs. Plans are not written or updated with appropriate information following incidents. In addition, leaders and managers have not ensured that local authority care plans are available and up to date. Local authority care plans for each child could not be provided on request during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive frequent supervision that supports their learning and development. Staff are not supported to reflect on significant incidents. Therefore, staff are not helped to learn from incidents and improve their practice. There are gaps in staff training. For example, the training needs of staff are not monitored or evaluated by leaders and managers. As a result, children are cared for by staff who do not have the necessary skills to safely provide care. The home’s statement of purpose is not up to date. This is a breach in regulation and means that Ofsted does not have an accurate record of who is working in the home. Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to meet the requirements from the previous inspection and some requirements are restated. Due to the serious and widespread concerns identified, an immediate notice to suspend the registration of the home was served on 1 November 2022.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 5

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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 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—

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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 to 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;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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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 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 6 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to attend education in line with their relevant plans and promote opportunities for children to learn informally.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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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; 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 7 are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers should ensure that staff support children to take responsibility for their behaviour by communicating the expectations. Furthermore, leaders and managers are to ensure that staff understand children’s relevant plans and are supported to manage their own feelings and responses through supervision and debriefs.

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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; 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 8 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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers need to ensure that staff understand children’s risks and are able to take appropriate action to safeguard children. This is a repeat requirement.

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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 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 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 9 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))

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Requirement Due date

Explicitly, leaders and managers should review and monitor the care provided and ensure that there are sufficiently qualified, skilled and experienced staff to safely care for children.

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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.

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers need to ensure that there are relevant plans for children and that children are supported to contribute to these plans. 12 December

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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. 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 10 Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 12 December

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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; 12 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 11 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, following any incident of restraint, the registered person must make a record of the restraint and include the necessary information as detailed in Regulation 35.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 12 December

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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: 2645878 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspectors

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2645878 13 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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