NAFD News

The NAFD consults on ambitious five-year strategy

2018-2021 have been an extraordinary and unprecedented three years for the funeral profession and for the NAFD, a time of dramatic change for bereaved people and all those who care for them. From the introduction of regulation, to changing consumer needs, a political and media focus on the cost of a funeral, the introduction of direct cremation – and a global pandemic, the NAFD has not only sought to support members in practical ways in responding to these challenges, It has also, increasingly, sought to anticipate and shape them too - with the aim of ensuring the funeral sector is the architect of its own future, rather than simply being subject to it.

This has already necessitated significant change within the NAFD, in terms of how it operates, thinks and behaves. We are proud of the work we have done to get to this point but, to ensure we fully achieve our mission to be an inclusive and progressive advocate for our members in the funeral profession - and for bereaved people - across all four nations of the United Kingdom, we still have much more to do.

To guide the next steps, the NAFD team has been working on an ambitious five-year strategy, which covers the period 2022-2027, and sets out how the NAFD intends to develop the support and services through focus on four key priorities: • Protecting and informing the public, ensuring they know to expect high standards from funeral directors; • Advocating and campaigning for the diverse needs of all NAFD member firms; • Promoting social responsibility, reflecting the diverse and changing needs of society and the environment in the work of the NAFD and its members; and • Enriching the sector, enabling funeral service employees, at all levels, to achieve their full potential.

Chief Executive Jon Levett said: “The NAFD’s Mission is ’to be an inclusive and progressive advocate for the funeral profession and bereaved people in all four nations of the United Kingdom’. The five year strategy will support us in achieving this Mission Statement, through the promotion of high standards, the provision of resources to support our members in caring for deceased and bereaved people – and through ensuring funeral consumers can make informed decisions.”

NAFD supports members in compliance with new Competition and Markets Authority requirements

In July, the NAFD hosted a webinar at which members of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) team answered members’ questions and outlined some of the key requirements of the Funerals Market Investigation Order.

Over 200 member firms watched the session, which was chaired by NAFD President Kate Edwards, either live or on playback via the NAFD members portal. During the course of sixty minutes, NAFD Chief Executive Jon Levett posed more than fifty questions to CMA funerals market team members Colin Garland and Dipesh Shah, including on issues such as how to accurately complete the Standardised Price List, whether funeral homes are permitted to offer familiarisation training to care home staff, what the term ‘ultimate owner’ really means and what information needs to appear on the A2 posters (or digital displays) that will be required in all UK funeral homes from 16 September.

A video of the webinar can now be found on the NAFD members’ web portal and a third Frequently Asked Questions document was created from many of the questions asked and will be released on the NAFD website, checked with the CMA and released online. This included answers on some of the key issues that were not resolved during the webinar, and on which the NAFD believes the CMA still needs to provide greater clarity. For all the information you need on how to comply, please visit the NAFD’s dedicated webpage: www.nafd.org. uk/cmaorder. In the final few weeks before compliance begins on 16 September, the NAFD team has called all member firms to check how they are doing and see if they need any further support.

First NAFD Summer School proves a popular draw

The first NAFD Summer School, held at St Chad’s College, Durham University in August proved to be an inspiring and thought-provoking few days. NAFD members and non-members and stakeholders connected to the sector, including faith leaders, celebrants and advisors – as well as students studying for their NAFD qualifications had all signed up to the inaugural event, which takes place over three days.

Hosted by the renowned anthropologist and theologian Professor Douglas Davies, the event focused on a range of professional development topics for funeral directors, including perceptions of the role of funeral directors, British beliefs about life, death and the afterlife, theories of grief, funeral rites

of passage and how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the funeral profession.

Professor Davies trained in Anthropology (Durham and Oxford) and Theology (Durham) and is now Professor in the Study of Religion and Director of the Centre for Death and Life Studies, at Durham University. He is a regular contributor to discussions on death ritual and belief on BBC Radio 4, considering the topics from religious, theological, health and welfare, public policy, historical and social science perspectives.

Reverend Juliet Stephenson of The Good Funeral Company, part of the Church of England in the Diocese of Liverpool, reflected at the end of the event that it was “a wonderful way to reconnect with the purpose of what we do.” She also described her experience of the NAFD’s first Summer School as “time to reflect and respond with thought-provoking and, sometimes, challenging reasoning behind the work that we do on a daily basis. Sometimes we can lose the vision, this was a chance to recentre and properly have a think.”

The feedback from the event has been remarkable, with virtually all attendees saying that they would like to attend again – and others commenting on how much they would like to have been there. Planning is already underway for the 2022 Summer School event.

Wales Cross Party Group is re-established in the sixth Senedd

The Cross Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement was first established, in 2013, to provide a forum for the discussion of funeral and bereavement issues affecting the people of Wales and the professionals who care for them.

In July, the Group was re-established, with Mark Isherwood MS once again elected as Chair, at an inaugural meeting, held virtually, to discuss the work programme for the years ahead. During the Fifth Senedd, membership of the Group expanded during the period to also encompass a wider range of bereavementfocused organisations and other representatives of the funeral profession, as well as members of the Senedd. Secretariat for the Group continues to be funded by the National Association of Funeral Directors.

The Group has focused on a wide range of funeral, bereavement and end-of-life issues. Towards the end of the term, the Coronavirus pandemic became a primary focus of the Group, including highlighting the impact of COVID on grieving people and needs of the frontline funeral, burial and cremation keyworkers, to both the Welsh and UK Governments. Bereavement has always been a core focus of the Group and, given the impact on grief of the pandemic, this focus will remain at the top of the agenda in the Sixth Senedd. Regulation – both of funeral firms and funeral plans – will continue to be a priority for the Group, along with the introduction of the Medical Examiner Service in Wales, reforms to burial and cremation regulations, and to death certification – as well as the needs of those families in Wales for whom financial support to cover the cost of a funeral is important. In 2020, a lack of understanding, particularly by public sector bodies, of the specific bereavement needs of BAME families in Wales was highlighted by a member of the Group and this has led to creation of workshops, which are now offered to any relevant organisation involved with BAME communities.

As well as holding individual meetings, the Group also held a joint meeting with the Cross Party Group on Hospices and Palliative Care to discuss topics of mutual interest in 2020 and there are plans to repeat this, going forward, given the Group’s shared agenda on many issues. Mark Isherwood MS, as Chair of the Cross Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement, has also been invited to attend the Westminster All Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement, to facilitate shared learning and exchange of ideas and experience.

The NAFD expands team

Stacy Tuohy Lisa Sturman David Hunter

Over the last couple of months, the NAFD has welcomed three new members of the team.

Stacy Tuohy has joined as Projects and Marketing Officer, working with the team across all departments on a number of projects to support with NAFD’s multiple websites, membership relationship management systems and processes and exploring ways to ensure the NAFD is doing all it can to support and communicate with members and the funeral profession.

Lisa Sturman is the new Operations Officer, offering administration support across the organisation, including leading on Funeral Director Monthly advertising and digital sales, assisting member data updates on Funeral Directory, maintaining social media accounts and helping plan and promote events.

And David Hunter, has joined the team as Standards and Quality Manager, having spent more than 25 years in the funeral profession in both corporate and independent businesses.

NAFD Celebrating Success Diploma Awards!

The NAFD’s Annual Celebrating Success Diploma Awards event recognises the achievements of NAFD Diploma students, in front of an audience of their family, friends, employers and colleagues. For the first time, the event had to be cancelled in 2020, due to the pandemic…but it’s back: bigger and better than ever on 18 September - and with plenty of sparkle and fun to accompany the all-important graduation ceremony.

The 2021 celebration is being held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel and includes a three-course dinner and entertainment. The event will also recognise those students who graduated in 2020, as well as the Class of April 2021, to make sure that all students have an opportunity to celebrate their achievements.

As a tutor, NAFD President Kate Edwards has worked hard to support students through their qualifications, across two of the most difficult years for the funeral profession. She said: “Celebrating Success has long been one of the highlights of my year as it’s an opportunity to recognise the hard work of NAFD students, who complete their studies at the same time as working in funeral service to care for bereaved people. For the Classes of 2020 and 2021, their studies have been significantly disrupted by lockdowns and distancing requirements which have forced them to study remotely and without the camaraderie that traditionally accompanies the diploma courses. I am lost in admiration for their resilience and focus and can’t wait to see all their proud and smiling faces, when I have the honour of presenting them with their diplomas.”