At last, after breakfast, the two hour Zoom Safeguarding conference I've been waiting for with the Church in Wales Safeguarding trainer, and nearly thirty trainees from all over the Province. For the most part, we were talked to, clearly and straightforwardly or shown slides and video. The presentations were carefully constructed to build the framework within which Safeguarding procedure makes sense. More of that next week. The course content showed signs of relevant recent updating around on-line issues, which is good. There were two five minute slots for breakout groups of 4-5 people, not long enough to my mind, to get acquainted and open up, but yes, it was all worthwhile nevertheless.
Zoom worked as designed with no serious glitches except the odd bout of microphone feedback. Next week's session is at the same time, ten o'clock, which means I'll have to forego the weekly 'Class Mass' at St German's. It's a sacrifice, but I have no alternative to complete the course asap. It's a precondition of my next application for Permission to Officiate, due in the New Year.
Once I've done this it'll be necessary to approach the Diocese in Europe Safeguarding team and request to re-start their programme, which I failed to complete eight months ago, because I got the start time of the Zoom session wrong - CET not GMT, the same before or after brexit - what a fool I am! Tonight I emailed the diocesan Safeguarding training officer, to re-activate the equivalent process for Europe.
I went out for a walk to clear my head after two hours glued to the computer Zooming, while Clare cooked us a delicious lentil and veg curry. I went out again after lunch and walked again, talking on the phone with Ashley, as we hadn't spoken for two weeks. This month, he told me, Cardiff Business Safe Limited will finally, officially cease trading, then our office in Motorpoint Arena will be shut down and cleared out.
Very little has happened there for the past year and a half because of covid. Not much by way of events happens at the Arena either. I think the place is destined to be shut down, demolished and the site repurposed, for God knows what. The Guildford Place site opposite the Arena is to house an extra tall tower block behind the retro facade of the former row of low rise Victorian buildings. Not more student accommodation? I hope. What the city needs is more low cost social housing, but land and property profiteers seem to rule the roost.
It's Rachel's birthday today, so Kath arranged a family Zoom call, so we can sing her Happy Birthday and tell her how much we miss her. Two Zoom calls in one day. Heavens above!
After a happy birthday half hour with Rachel, including her showing us her garden in Tempe, I thought I'd investigate how to get the NHS 'covid passport'. The NHS website is clear, simple and well presented, but in order to access what you need, you have to establish your identity, setting up an account login with a two stage process then giving your NHS number, not to be confused with your NI number (as I did at first) plus a photo of your passport which is checked by face recognition software using you device's webcam.
Once they have confirmed your identity you can move on to get what you came for. Except if you're in NHS Wales territory. There is a route within the website to the page where this is available, but I thought it was embedded in a surfeit of information. More prominent one click access would have raised a few less curses against the system. But it it did deliver a QR code in the end, valid for only a month, and there's one for domestic use and another one for international travel. Then I decided to install the NHS app on my Blackberry to repeat the process and down load the QR code to my phone, requiring a complete repeat of the process. At least it seems renewal whenever required is simpler once to have proved you are who NHS England has verified who you are.
It's a lot of hoops to jump through to acquire a digital document I am unlikely to use unless I go abroad, and that's not going to happen this year, for sure. Thank goodness the QR code isn't needed to cross Offa's Dyke. At last a tiny consolation for being England's oldest colony!
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