It’s a service instructor (RAF Reservist) going to CI so he can get involved with shooting. He’s an SAC so can’t run a range. We’ve known him for several years
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Shouldn’t an RAF reservist already have a BPSS or higher as part of their reserve vetting?
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Probably not transferable to us because reasons.
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You mean because total bull-what’s-it.
I often think that if I was coming to the organisation now as a prospective member of staff I’d just say sod it. And go and do something else!
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Yep. We have someone currently in the process of joining who already has a DBS, DPSS and SC all that match the requirements of the RAFAC, yet isn’t being allowed to transfer any of it over. Has to do it all again, through our channels. Utter rubbish.
If we weren’t so desperate for staff I’d understand it.
We lost one recently who filled the forms… waited… got dbs back so attended a few bits on squadron… started mandatory training, then their bpss…
They dropped off the face of the planet. After a few calls we got an email saying too much like hard work, have enough of this rubbish in the day job, going off to volunteer elsewhere.
Forwarded the response on and just told they didn’t want to be part of the organisation enough, and an insinuation that there might be something in the paperwork they didn’t want found.
I would say I was surprised. But I wasn’t.
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The fact that the BPSS states on ID requires that if you use a driving license “it must be accompanied by the paper counterpart” tends to make out that the form itself is out of date and isn’t really used for current purposes.
Not the most inspiring thing for a new volunteer.
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I’ve provided several - at WHQ’s suggestion.
I know of a CI who got his work vetting department to vouch for the fact he already held a BPSS, and it has been accepted.
Yeah, I know it should be allowed. Same as the DBS should be transferable if in the update system, as per ACP 20. But it wasn’t my fight to have. I’m not in an exec role at the moment so told my OC my thoughts and left it there.
I fought and fought on that point. Eventually they accepted my work SC but made me redo BPSS.
I know I wouldn’t bother if I wasn’t a Cadet first…even those we have knock the door who were cadets 10 years ago I don’t understand why they stick it out as what they experience in those first 5 weeks is vastly different to their memory of 5 years as a Cadet
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Agreed. I’m often asked if it’s worth getting involved and I struggle to say in complete honesty that it would be worth it for them… BPSS is one of the more painful parts of the process due to the need for (handwritten…) references.
What a sad state of affairs. Likely to be spun as you are not a good enough leader to inspire others to join, rather than motivation for permanent staff realising things need to change in the ridiculous join process.
A few minor victories recently, but nothing to reverse the tsunami of rubbish that relentlessly comes from HQAC.
They’re like turkeys voting for Christmas.
We might have staggered on until now, but I thought morale was low 5 years ago, it just keeps getting lower. I thought the new commandant might bring about positive change, but we continue to slump and decline.
Very, very sad. But nobody at the top could care less. It’s an embarrassment.
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So the issue with BPSS is that they changed the vetting system to account for issues in the regular military but HQAC didn’t follow suit at the time. This resulted in things such as illegal immigrants volunteering for the organisation which flags all sorts of concerns round our checks etc.
This is not the issues being pushed down by HQAC but the attitude of we don’t need to do it that way or we have our own system. The vetting process is owned by a different department & if HQAC had warned everyone at the time it was introduced then not only could things be more familiar rather than last minute rush, they could have pushed to make the system more volunteer friendly. The result is that nothing got done, it was imposed and HQAC was late to the matter.
To fix this HQAC needs to be proactive at their end and involved in the mundane finance/admin/infrastructure meetings & projects to make sure that they aren’t forgotten and they can steer things so it is at least semi-volunteer friendly. Until that happens the admin will not reduce & HQAC will not have the influence to reduce it.
A lifelong adminner is never going to see the problem with an admin process or the impact that it has.
To them it’s all just “take form, read form, file form” - it doesn’t matter what it actually is as it’s all the same to them.
Point out a problem or complain and all you’ll get is “that’s just the way it is”. The same is true of far too many WSOs and above in the volunteer cadre. Talking more broadly than BPSS, but those who could and should push for change and escalate sqn feedback don’t either through apathy or self-preservation.
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I sometimes wonder what I would think of the organisation if I had been away. You don’t notice incremental change, but going away and coming back after a few years I am sure it would be almost unrecognisable. Some of the good - I am sure we are a lot safer now, more professional, but we have to be mindful of the pendulum slipping too far the other way.
Honestly don’t understand why people fought against redoing a bpss form.
It’s hardly difficult.
Where you also the verifier for the BPSS? I know you can’t confirm identity and provide a ref… conflict of interests.
Locally that that was WHQ Perm Staff only and never got delegated.
The WEXO was my 2nd reference & the E1 did the ID Check