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Arranging a FuneralOrganising a funeral can be a traumatic and stressful, not to mention costly affair. Like any forward planning, it is worth considering what sort of funeral you or your relative want and what you wish to happen to your or your loved one's body, if possible before the event happens.Britain's funeral business is worth £1 billion a year and is currently self regulating but there have been demands that it be more strictly controlled. The growing commercialisation of funerals and the large number of small family firms of funeral directors being taken over by conglomerates has resulted in an increasing number of people considering other options which can offer a more personalised feel, such as those at woodland burial sites. See the page on DIY funerals. 1. Choosing a Funeral Director Most people choose to entrust the arrangements to a professional funeral director of which there are about 2,500 in this country. The funeral business in Britain is covered by three trade associations, but membership is not compulsory and because the business is unregulated, basically anyone can set up as a funeral director. Friends, family, clergy or your doctor may be able to recommend reputable companies and in this consumer society, the advice of 'shopping around' may seem a difficult one to apply to funerals, but the advice is the same as for any service. Relatives or friends are probably the most appropriate people to ask to help by ringing around several funeral directors to compare prices and services. The Natural Death Centre, the educational charity which campaigns on behalf of the public for greater openess in the funeral industry, believe that a good funeral director should be a 'facilitator' - someone who helps the family organise as much of the funeral arrangements as they want to. Increasingly, family members want to be more involved in the arrangements and help in the final rituals. The Natural Death Handbook gives a number of awards to the funeral industry, including Best Funeral Director. When choosing a funeral director:
The three trade associations are; National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) 618 Warwick Road Solihull West Midlands B91 1AA Tel: 0121 711 1343 Email: info@nafd.org.uk www.nafd.org.uk Established in 1905, formerly the British Undertakes Association, this was the principal trade association in the funeral profession until the mid 1980's. Its members' Code of Practise is available free. The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) SAIF Business Centre 3 Bullfields Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire CM21 9DB Tel: 01279 726777 Email: info@saif.org.uk www.saif.org.uk Established in 1989 with a membership covering over 900 funeral homes, SAIF is the co-ordinating body for smaller, independent, often family firms. SAIF operates a legal helpline for clients - 08705 234500. The Funeral Standards Council (FSC) Funeral Standards Council 30 North Road Established in 1993 when the Co-operative Societies broke away from the NAFD. Codes of Practice Each organisation operates its own code of practice, although none of the codes is currently supported by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Each code of practice requires its members to:
All undertakers should be able to provide a price for a 'simple, basic funeral' which should comprise of;
This organisation publishes the Charter for the Bereaved and to date 57 cemeteries and crematoria have officially adopted the Charter with another 33 close to signing. Copies (at a charge) can be obtained from; Tim Morris 01753 771518. Association of Burial Authorities 155 Upper StreetLondon N1 1RA Tel: 020 7288 2522 Fax: 020 7288 2533 http://www.aba@swa-pr.co.uk/ Cremation Society of Great Britain 2nd Floor Brecon House 16/16a Albion PlaceMaidstone Kent ME14 5DZ Tel: 01622 688292 Email: cremsoc@aol.com http://www.cremation.org.uk/ Will tell you your nearest crematorium and publishes a free booklet on 'What You Should Know About Cremation'. What To Do If You Are Unhappy With The Funeral Despite reports of an increase in complaints against undertakers, the office of the Funeral Ombudsman which offered members of the public unhappy with the service they had received an independent complaints procedure, ceased operation on 30 September 2002. In its place, it appears that all three main funeral associations have established independent schemes for re-dress which aim to settle disputes by mediation. The most frequent complaints relate to the cost of the funeral exceeding the estimates, misunderstandings about the disposal of ashes and distress caused by the condition of the body when viewed by relatives after embalming or a postmortem. Helpful Books The Dead Good Funerals Book Available from; Welfare State International, The Ellers, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 0AA Tel: 01229 581127 The Natural Death Handbook Available from; The Natural Death Centre, 12a Blackstock Mews, London N4 2BT Tel: 0871 288 2098 www.naturaldeath.org.uk |
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