Just saw the video, great job guysđđ˝
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Thanks and I will pass that onto the Bader Developers for you 
Weâre cooking on gas today!
New TG21 video also uploaded to YouTube today 
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Quick update from us:
- Penetration and Security testing on Bader (including Cadet Portal) was completed last Sunday by 90 SU. The report will be issued some time in January but the RAF pen tester said there were no âsignificant issuesâ - which isnât massively helpful so we will have to wait for the report to be issued and then take corrective action as appropriate.
- We are currently working on the cadet being able to edit their profile information (address, email, phone numbers etc) which we are hoping is going to be in the first release - we were going to leave this until after the Corps-wide roll out but I think we have time to do it now
- We have implemented some changes to the homepage to include a list of events the cadet is signed up to and a list of events added/modified in the last 7 days
- The nominations from the RCs for their 2 Squadrons to take part in Beta are due by this Friday and I will be communicating with the nominated Sqns over the Christmas Break and early New Year
- We are investigating the idea of text message (SMS) support for Cadet Portal which would bring a new capability to communicate with parents/guardians. Very early stages on that though and no promises.
- We have implemented a series of random images on the login page which change per visit based on approved images supplied by HQ Media Comms.
- SPOL is being migrated (again) in January and we really need that to be completed so we can generate the annon links for Cadet Portal.
- VDT are meeting at Cranwell in early Jan for a working weekend. I have been invited by the CACWO to address the WOs national conference at RAF Wittering on the same weekend and I will be asking them to support Cadet Portal by producing some quality video content on dress and drill stuff e.g. how to mould your beret, how to polish your trousers etc etc.
@MattB You have your wish! We have implemented additional information from Cadet Portal to SMS on things like special diet requirements etc.
So here is CP on an iPad and you can see there is a box where the cadet can enter information then press save details. This box only appears after they have added their name to the event. If they go back and revise that information in the future, as long as they press save details, it will be fired over to the SMS nominal roll:
âŚand here is SMS showing the data
So, all is progressing well and no major hiccups at the moment!
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Hi,
Ref cadet changing details.
Is this the cadet changes their details I.e. their mobile number, their email.
Or will they be able to edit their address and parents / NOK details.
I donât want to sound like a pessimist (honest) But genuinely I have on Sqn now and have had on my previous squadrons cadets who cannot write their own address, do not know where they live and do not know parents contact details.
What protections will be in place to ensure the continued validity of NOK details.
If the poo hits the fan and I need mumâs number then and immediately and for whatever reason SMS is the only way ican get it (for the precise people out there, letâs just scenario that the consent forms have been incorrectly driven off in another vehicle for example), the details have to be correct.
CFAVs cannot be held responsible for data they no longer have control over.
Itâs all looking good though.
Hi there,
We submitted two recommendations to Command Board:
(1) That the cadets be able to edit some of their personal data like address, home telephone, mobile, email etc without staff intervention
(2) That cadets be able to edit NOK data but there MUST BE AN APPROVAL MECHANISM BY STAFF IN SMS.
Your logical next question is âhow do we validate that change as staff?â. My initial response would be âhow would you validate it now?â Since cadet records are often updated on the cadets say so ie âsir, my dads new number is XYZ, can you update my record pleaseâ etc.
The reason we are looking at things like SMS text messaging is to text the parents to inform them of changes where appropriate ie for NOK data changesâŚ
Does that help?
We verify details by being adults who can read and write.
My point is and I canât really overstate this.
If you have educationally challenged cadets who WILL tinker with things they suddenly get access to and they edit details thinking they are helping or another reason, we as staff will have to go in and double check all the changes.
I know this might seem an unlikely scenario for some. But as an organisation we take all sorts and believe me there are cadets who can very well use IT and so will master this system.
But you give them access to change something it will get ballsed up.
I couldnât give a fig what they change their email or their mobile to.
But if they change NOK details and make a mistake it could and eventually will have consequences somewhere in the Corps.
We are talking about giving 12 year olds access after all.
Not all cadets are Dacre winning sky God future prime ministerâs.
Some⌠God forbid are, mentally challenged, losing, future society drop outs
THIS IS THE TRUTH WE RARELY ACKNOWLEDGE
Itâs not a failing on us but we have to at least acknowledge it for things such as this.
Sorry to be blunt.
You do seem to be preaching to the converted though, as James has already said that staff will have to approve a change.
Only if option 2 above is selected.
Personal data is not the same as NOK data; they are two separate recommendations.
However we want to term something⌠so long as if a cadet changes a NOK detail in sms staff are at least made aware that is all.
Like I said the rest looks great.
I am only trying to protect the most vulnerable cadets from themselves!
So, BOTH of the recommendations above have been accepted by Command Board. SOME data the cadets can be edited without the need for staff approval. ANY NOK data changes MUST be approved by a member of staff. So anything relating to parent/guardians contact dataâŚ
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Excellent.
Thanks For clarification.
This is looking like it will be a good success.
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Hurrah! We got there in the end! 
Just be clear, I am entirely sympathetic to your concerns and I understand why you are raising them - this is new and scary stuff and we are giving cadets the ability to change things which they generally couldnât touch before and I am glad we are being challenged on how we are going to do this.
By the way of background:
The Command Board through RCN, our Project Sponsor, is really keen that we develop Cadet Portal not just for the lowest common denominator. We appreciate that cadets can do silly things through ignorance or pure stupidity, but we need to assume that they wonât and then deal with this by exception using the current rules, regulations and disciplinary procedures already enshrined in policy.
For instance, we are going to allow cadets the ability to upload a profile photograph which will pull through to their SMS record etc. If a cadet decided it was a good idea to take a photo of a part of their anatomy and upload that, we would expect Sqn Cdrs to deal with that appropriately using the tools they have at their disposal - for instance, PI 501 and the routes for disciplinary action available.
My personal belief is that as long as Cadet Portal is part of the cadets induction process and the disciplinary action which may be taken explained, the instances of sillyness will be very minimal. Our experience with running SquadronBox and MySquadron over the years have shown that cadets can be sensible and work within a structureâŚelse they probably wouldnât join the Air Cadets 
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Being able to lock out the ability to make changes on a per-cadet basis would be a useful ability, even if limited to a higher formation that the squadronâŚ
Hopefully in addition to the current, âofficialâ photo that could, potentially, end up on a future cadet IDâŚ
Plan for the best; prepare for the worst.
Negative, we are not going to be doing that (just being honest)
You understand where this is going
Agree - as an emergency planning/business continuity management person - and I feel we have in that the Organisation has very comprehensive disciplinary procedures in place which you can wield at the Squadron level with quite a large degree of freedom, as long as you follow the proper process and guidance issued by the Organisation
I believe that it is a mistake to trust that the user will do as expected and relying on punishing people for their transgressions when steps can be taken in advance that would mitigate the problems systemically. This is not a slur on any cadets, just a realistic approach to ANY user of ANY system.
Would you expect a software developer to just tell a customer not to enter invalid values into a form, or would you have him the code in validity checks on the inputs? It is like putting those little plastic things in the wall socket when you have toddlers on the loose
However good the product is looking now, I worry that we end up not quite doing it right - same as always!
A little off-topic, but theyâre actually more dangerous than not using them at all.
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I understand your concerns - but letâs get real here for a moment. We can apply some logic within the system for some items of data the cadet may be able to update but without having a checking process for each and every change, the software wonât be able to tell if some data is correct or complete gash.
For instance, this is the sort of thing they will be able to change:
-
Address - there would not be a way of automatically validating this information unless we use something like a commercially available address database (i.e. input your postcode and choose your house from a drop down list) - which we wonât be able to do as the MoD wonât let us use one and it would be too expensive. I would love to be able to do this but we wonât be able to in this project.
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Telephone number - we can put some logic controls in on the number of digits and whether or not it is a landline or mobile number, thatâs fine - but other than thatâŚ
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Email - we can validate the data in that it has to have an @ symbol and fit the right format for an email address - but they could just put in gibberish and that wouldnât be the systems fault
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Profile pic - We would not be able to do any kind of intelligent screening (without spending many ÂŁÂŁs which we donât have) of photos uploaded which is why we would be reliant on the Sqns keeping a check and then take action as appropriate
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NOK data will all have to be checked by staff before the record is updated - which is no different to what you are doing on paper now
So, that leaves us with two options:
(1) Insist that all changes to any data require Staff approval and intervention as appropriate - which we believe will increase admin burden which is something all volunteers want to see decreased over time
(2) Work on the basis that infractions are dealt with by exception in line with the Organisations policies and procedures, trust the CFAVs to deal with it properly and give the cadets some creditâŚ
I think we have a very reasonable solution with what the Command Board has approved but as you say, the proof will be in the puddingâŚ
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