What is Bader?

Bader is a collection of IT systems operated by the RAF Air Cadets and are all authorised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The systems undergo regular security testing to ensure that all information is stored and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018) and EU General Data Protection Regulations.

The Bader suite of applications and the associated IT infrastructure is managed by a central team of five permanent staff based at HQ RAF Air Cadets. The Bader IT Team is also supported by the Volunteer Software Development Team (VSDT) who are specifically in place to assist in the development of bespoke software applications, such as the Bader Cadet Portal.

Volunteers have access to the following systems:

• Microsoft Office 365 applications including Microsoft Outlook email, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms, Microsoft Stream, Microsoft Flow and other applications.
• Squadron Management System (SMS) which is the primary management information system for the ATC.
• Account Management System (AMS) which is used by Bader Points of Contact (POC) and others to manage access to SMS.

What is Westminster?

Westminster is the Management Information System used by the Army Cadet Force, the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) including the CCF (RAF) and the Sea Cadet Corps. CCF (RAF) Sections may also be using some of the Bader suite of applications in addition to what is available on Westminster.

CCF (RAF) CFAVs should speak to their school Section Commander for further information about which IT platforms are being used.

What is the role of the Bader Point of Contact (POC)?

Bader POCs support local units, Wings and Regions in the ATC. They act as first line support for any questions and queries that Cadet Forces Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) have relating to Bader which includes tasks like password resets and allocating CFAVs to different accounts and permissions. They have defined Terms of Reference and are appointed by OC Wings and Regional Commandants. Bader POCs attend annual conferences and work closely with the HQ RAF Air Cadets Bader IT Team and the VSDT.

You can find out who your local Bader POC from your Wing or Region HQ Bader SharePoint site.

What are the Bader IT Team working on?

The RAF Air Cadets IT Strategy sets out what the Bader IT Team are aiming to develop and introduce between 2020-2025. It aligns to the RAF Air Cadets Strategy objectives and the RAF ASTRA project which is the Royal Air Force's modernisation programme. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, talks about the ASTRA programme in his summer briefing message.

We are working on a large number of concurrent, very challenging projects with an extremely limited staff resource, which are focused on the reducing the administrative burden placed on our CFAVs and permanent staff (who are Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Servants and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) employees). This includes the ongoing development of SMS/AMS and Cadet Portal but also new projects like the Volunteer Portal and Admin Portal.

You can find out what the Bader IT Team and the VSDT by visiting the Bader Hub on SharePoint.

What are the requirements for being issued a Bader account?

The Bader Security Operating Procedures (SyOPs) establish the requirements for CFAVs to have access to the Bader platform. CFAVs are required to complete:

• Basic Personnel Security Screening (BPSS) - which all CFAVs complete as part of the joining process.
• Responsible for Information Course - General User Assessment - which is available through Bader Ultilearn. This course is to be re-completed every three years.

Who are Bader role-based accounts issued to?

Not all CFAVs have a personal/allocated account for the Bader platform - these are called personal accounts and we are hoping to roll these out across all CFAVs soon.

Role-based accounts for the suite of applications including Microsoft Office 365 and SMS are issued to those CFAVs who play a defined role in the Organisations hierarchy. At the local unit level, this generally means CFAVs who are:

• Officers Commanding units (e.g. [email protected])
• Adjutants (e.g. [email protected])
• Training Officers (e.g. [email protected])
• Unit Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) ([email protected])
• Civilian Welfare Committee Chairpersons ([email protected])
• Civilian Welfare Committee Treasurers ([email protected])

Accounts are also issued to those fulfilling Wing, Region and HQ RAF Air Cadets roles.

A full list of all of the abbreviations used in the Bader accounts issued to CFAVs is available on SharePoint in the Bader Hub.

How do those without a role-based account access Bader Microsoft Office 365?

A generic Microsoft Office 365 account is issued to the unit's general account (e.g. [email protected]). Those without a specific role-based account can use this account to access Microsoft Office 365 platforms such as Outlook email and SharePoint.

How do those without a role-based account access Bader SMS?

SMS accounts can be created and allocated to individual CFAVs. To login to SMS, users without a specific role-based account must enter the units general account username/password and the individual SMS username/password. This ensures that only named users access SMS.

Unit commanders can manage the permissions of their local SMS users to ensure that these CFAVs only see the data/information they need to fulfil their role in that unit.

How do CFAVs change their Microsoft Office/SMS password?

If the user is logged into Microsoft Office 365 applications, they can change their password by visiting https://myaccount.microsoft.com/.

If they have forgotten their password, they will need to contact the Bader POC to request a password change.

What is Cadet Portal?

Cadet Portal is a secure, MOD accredited and authorised platform for the RAF Air Cadets and enables units to publish information directly to cadets. Cadet Portal was deployed to the whole of the ATC between November 2019 and January 2020.

You can read more about Cadet Portal on the 'I'm a cadet' page on this site.

Why don’t CFAVs have access to Cadet Portal?

Simply, because you are not a cadet!

Everything that a cadet views on Cadet Portal is driven from Bader SMS - so if you wanted to see what information has been shared with a cadet, you would navigate to the relevant event on SMS and look at the Cadet Portal tab. If you wanted to see what local files have been shared with Cadet Portal (e.g. a local unit Gift Aid form), you would navigate to the Downloads section on SMS.

We are not able to provide CFAVs with a demo account for Cadet Portal but we are working on this.

How can we explain Cadet Portal to cadets if we don’t have access?

There are various demo/functionality videos available on the Cadet Portal SharePoint site.

You could also ask a cadet to login to Cadet Portal, if they are happy to do so, and use that to show other cadets how the site works.

What training is available on SMS and Cadet Portal?

Specific interactive training courses are available on Bader Ultilearn on Cadet Portal and SMS events which will teach you how both systems work.

When you have logged in to Ultilearn, look for the following courses:

• RAFC Course 161 - Cadet Portal
• RAFAC Course 162 - SMS Events
• RAFAC Course 160 - ACTO 10 - this course is a mandatory course for all CFAVs and explains how RAF Air Cadets events are to be planned and managed using Bader SMS/Cadet Portal

The videos used to explain the functionality are all available on the Bader Hub.

What training is available on Microsoft Office 365?

Comprehensive training on Microsoft Office 365 is available through Bader Learning Pathways. This content is managed by Microsoft and is available to all RAF Air Cadets CFAVs.

Can I add my Bader account to my home devices?

Yes!

You can add your Bader account(s) to your mobile, tablet and desktop devices using your issued Bader email address (e.g. [email protected]) and password. When adding the account, you will need to choose the Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Office 365 option.

You can also install Microsoft Office 365 apps on your mobile devices (which are freely available from the various app stores) and login to those apps using your Bader credentials.

For mobile devices, you will be required to set a PIN number and give permission to the RAF Air Cadets to remotely wipe your device if it is lost or stolen. These are security requirements of the Bader SyOPs which are in line with the MOD security requirements for mobile device access.

Further information on how to add your Bader account to your device is available on the Microsoft Support site.

What resources are available to explain to parents what Cadet Portal is?

A parent briefing video is available on RAFAC Air Cadets Vimeo which provides an overview of how Cadet Portal works and what it is for. A high-level overview is also available on the RAF Air Cadets website.

An FAQ leaflet is also available in addition to the content on the 'I'm a parent' page of this site.

How does the RAF Air Cadets protect my data?

We take the protection of CFAVs data incredibly seriously. All of the Bader applications are authorised and accredited by the Royal Air Force and the Ministry of Defence and is operated in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (2018) and EU General Data Protection Regulations (EU GDPR).

Further information about how we manage your data is available in the RAF Air Cadets Information Management Directive and the CFAV Privacy Notice.

What is Ultilearn?

Ultilearn is the online learning management system that you will use to access learning material and take your assessments. You will be required to complete a number of mandatory training courses when you join the RAF Air Cadets in line with ACTO 99 covering everything from child safeguarding, to fire safety, to how to use Bader SMS to organise and share information about events and activities.

Through Ultilearn, you have access to all of the training courses available in the RAF Air Cadets.

If you are unable to login to Ultilearn because you have forgotten your password, you can click 'Forgot your password?' from https://learning.bader.mod.uk and a new password will be sent to your unit commander. They will then give you the new password to use.