Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kedleston (Wings Education) Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 1 SC048552 Kedleston (Wings Education) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to 50 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a residential special school which is also registered as a children’s home. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 35 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 29, 30 and 31 May 2024. Ofsted found that children had suffered harm due to serious and widespread safeguarding failures and that the leadership and management arrangements were ineffective.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted made a decision to restrict accommodation at the home under section 22B of the Care Standards Act 2000. Compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) were also issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken by the provider to meet the steps identified in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider was unable to demonstrate that sufficient action had been taken to meet the steps in the compliance notices. Further safeguarding concerns were identified at this visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 2 The registered manager remains out of the home. The provider has identified a manager from within the organisation to support the operation of the home. In the interim period, senior leaders have been overseeing care practices in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The children live together, are educated together, and have some of the same staff working with them at home and in school. There is a lack of communication and coordination of safeguarding arrangements between leaders, managers, and staff across both settings. This leaves all involved vulnerable.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, some care practices have continued to be poor. Managers and staff do not appropriately respond to incidents and do not implement effective strategies to safeguard and protect children. A lack of age-appropriate boundaries and structures, and a culture of poor and unsafe practice continues to place children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Some children say that staff use physical restraint as a form of discipline and compliance. They say excessive force is used and that they have sustained physical injuries. These are now being investigated by the appropriate safeguarding professionals.

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This monitoring visit

Staff confirm that children are held, but physical interventions are not always recorded. This is against the provider’s own safeguarding procedures. When records are completed, they fail to demonstrate that physical intervention is used to protect the child and those around them. Despite senior managers having oversight of these records, they failed to identify the recording shortfalls and the safeguarding concerns about the staff’s practice.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, senior leaders have discussed with staff their roles and responsibilities and reinforced the whistle-blowing and allegation procedures. However, some staff remain unclear about the action they need to take to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

In some instances when children make allegations about staff, risk assessments are put in place to safeguard all involved. However, leaders do not act to ensure that staff work according to the risk assessments. On one occasion, a senior leader requested to speak to a child following a safeguarding incident. This is against the agreement in the risk assessment and fails to protect all involved.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has updated risk management plans for children to ensure that staff have agreed strategies in place to minimise risk. Leaders report that they have spent time talking to staff about the new processes. However, some staff still do not understand the action they should take if a child is at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

New senior management arrangements have been introduced and discussed with all staff. However, some staff remain unclear about who to contact if a safeguarding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 3 incident occurs. This fails to demonstrate that all staff will take appropriate action to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

Recording in the home is poor. Physical interventions, room searches and complaints are not consistently recorded. Records of incidents are unclear and fail to provide an accurate account of what has occurred and what action has been taken. Senior leaders, in their oversight of these records, have failed to identify the shortfalls in staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

At the last inspection, immediate action was taken to improve the cleanliness of children’s bedrooms. However, staff have failed to sustain the improvements. At this visit, some bedrooms were found to be unclean, with damaged furniture. Some bedrooms had damaged paintwork caused by previous children, and window coverings in some bedrooms do not protect children’s privacy and dignity. Previous concerns about internal doors being locked and restrictions on food remain.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff lack professional curiosity. They have not explored the risks that the internet may pose to children. This places children at risk of harm and exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

Staff rotas do not include the names of the managers and staff on shift, or the actual hours worked. Should an allegation be made retrospectively, there is no system in place to identify the staff on shift at the time.

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This monitoring visit

Some external professionals report that safeguarding concerns are not reported in a timely way, causing unnecessary delays for children. They say that some information provided by managers and staff is factually inaccurate and lacks sufficient detail. This does not enable other safeguarding professionals to take sufficient and appropriate action to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the interim manager and senior leader provided immediate assurances about the action they planned to take to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

The restriction notice remains in place and compliance notices under regulation 6, regulation 12, regulation 13 and regulation 35 of the Children’s Homes Regulations were issued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2024 Full inadequate 30/10/2023 Full good 28/02/2023 Full good 15/11/2022 Full inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply with 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 home’s overall 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

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 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

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii)) 13 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 6 Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that children have access to physical necessities that they need to live in the home comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the children’s home is well maintained to provide a welcoming environment for the children to live in. This should include taking immediate steps to rectify any damage in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that managers and staff provide children with care that meets their individual needs, as recorded in the children’s relevant plans.

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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

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

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

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 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review all children’s risk assessments, ensuring that all known risks are identified, and have clear actions for staff to follow. 13 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 7 The registered provider must ensure that all managers and staff understand children’s risks and their responsibilities for children in their care. This must include following risk assessments.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must undertake a review of the managers’ and staff’s experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of the children in their care. Where shortfalls are identified, the registered provider must ensure that there are sufficient and consistent staff on shift at all times to meet the children’s needs and identify a plan of support and training for these staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review the location of the premises and take steps to mitigate known risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review fire risks to include all known information. They must ensure that staff understand known fire risks and take steps to keep children 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

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’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; 13 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 8 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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that interim management arrangements are reviewed and be confident that the managers identified have the skills, knowledge, and experience to carry out the role. This should include all managers with supervisory responsibilities, out-of-hours management arrangements and governance arrangements.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review their monitoring and auditing processes to ensure that they can identify any shortfalls in staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review supervision arrangements for all staff, ensuring that the interim managers have oversight of these. This should include all staff who have supervisory responsibilities, including senior leaders.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review their procedure for when allegations are made, so there is a clear understanding by all staff of how allegations are responded to, investigated, and shared with relevant partner agencies.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there is clear management oversight of all incidents and of children’s plans. This should include the registered provider disseminating learning from incidents and taking steps to ensure that staff understand any changes made to practice keeping children safe.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 13 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 9 The registered person must ensure that—

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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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review the behaviour management policy to set out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all managers and staff understand the revised behaviour management policy and their responsibilities for children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all managers and staff understand that children are only to be held by staff when needed to keep children or those around them safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that managers and staff only use agreed holds and for the shortest time needed.

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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

The registered person must— 13 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 10 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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider keeping an accurate record of staff working in the home. This should include the staff member’s full name, hours worked and which house they worked in.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered provider keeping accurate records of all visitors to the home and the reason for the visit.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

a person other than the registered person carries on or manages the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change of director, manager, secretary, or other similar officer of the organisation. (Regulation 49 (a)(e)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider notifying Ofsted of any change of director who is involved in the care provided to children. 13 July 2024

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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: SC048552 11

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kedleston (Wings Education) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 7 Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2FX

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Inspectors

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Donna Ryan, Social Care Inspector Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector (QAV) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC048552 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 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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