Funeral Service Times August 2017 November 2018 | Page 18

18 SOAPBOX: AOIC
To be, or not to be, a member of a
professional trade association?
That is the question looked at by Philip Spicksley, the executive
chair of the Association of Independent Celebrants (AOIC), in his
latest column
L
ast month I spoke about the need for
celebrants to have the backing of a
trade association and how important
it is to ensure that they are covered by
insurance. This month I address this issue
again, but from the view of a funeral
director.
All the time I hear concerns about
the amount of people coming into the
celebrant industry from funeral directors
and it is true, more and more people are
training to be celebrants and asking funeral
directors for business.
As the executive chairman of the
Association of Independent Celebrants I
speak to lots of people who are thinking of
training for the role. However, people must
realise that just because they have given
a good eulogy at a friend’s funeral doesn't
mean that they have the necessary skills to
conduct a full funeral service.
Time and time again, I hear people say
that they have spoken to their local funeral
director who informs them that they will
use them for their services once they have
been trained, or even before.
What makes a good celebrant? It is not
just a piece of paper and a qualification, it
is the skill to listen with empathy, plan a
service and suggest content. Have an ear of
sympathy and be able to follow the service
up with advice and comfort.
With the celebrant industry awash with
new celebrants it is important for some
NOVEMBER 2018
type of quality control, it is important
that only the best is engaged to comfort
and provide that special service for those
grieving the loss of a loved one. Using
the same celebrant isn't the answer
either, families should be matched with a
celebrant that best suits the needs for that
individual service.
Cost and price of a service should not
come into it either, I hear about funeral
directors who try new celebrants who are
cheaper or even free when they have been
advised to conduct the first five services
for free to, I quote: “Get your feet under the
table”.
There is a need for regulation, I was the
only English-based executive of a celebrant
trade body that attended the Stirling
Debate in Scotland in March 2017. I wanted
to hear about the proposed changes in the
funeral industry north of the border so that
I could prepare for changes in England and
inform our members in Scotland as to what
to expect. Sadly, celebrants are not being
included in the regulation of the funeral
trade in Scotland now.
We therefore have to regulate
ourselves, we in the AOIC ask our
members to register with the Information
Commissioners Office, have a GDPR policy
and adherence to the regulations. We also
advise members to obtain a DBS check and
of course insurance is the most important
aspect of any profession. Gone are the days
when celebrants are part time individuals
who earn a bit of extra cash, they must be
and are professional people and should be
acting as a professional too. Regulation of
celebrants would enforce standards within
the industry. In some areas, 95 percent
of funeral services are now conducted
by celebrants with religious ministers
conducting the remainder.
If we cannot have regulation, then I must
ask funeral directors to be the regulators
and use their business skills to provide only
the best for their clients - remember when
a celebrant is recommended by a funeral
director, the celebrant represents that
business and if they conduct a poor service
it reflects on the funeral director and their
business in general.
So, in conclusion I ask that funeral
directors use their precious time wisely
when they are approached by celebrants
asking for recommendations of work.
Follow the following suggestions and
eventually the quality of celebrants will
improve.
Here is a recommended AOIC checklist:
• Ask a celebrant what trade body they
are a member of and if not, why they
believe that they do not think that it is
necessary to belong to a recognised
trade body.
• What support do they receive?
• How do they keep themselves up to
date with information and developments
in the industry?
• What insurance do they have? If they
don't have any then send them away
and ask
• them to come back when they can
produce a copy of their insurance. Make
sure that the insurance cover includes
professional indemnity, if they fail to
arrive on time or fail to turn up for a
funeral then they need insurance cover.
Remember we live in a no win no fee
litigation society.
• Ask for a copy of their DBS certificate.
• Ask for a copy of their GDPR policy and
their ICO membership certificate.
• But most importantly do not engage
with a celebrant because they offer a
cheap alternative or even worse a free
trial alternative. Remember you get what
you pay for!
Finally, I hope that there are not many
funeral directors who ask for a commission
for a recommendation, as I know there
are some. A funeral director recently told
me that the celebrant that he uses always
gives him a bottle of whisky or a box of
chocolates, which he saves up to give
his bearers at Christmas. This, perhaps,
infers that should I wish to engage with
his company, then the same would be
expected. I politely told him that it is illegal
to do so, hence I haven't heard from that
individual again.
Self-regulation is always the best,
we need to act professionally and
appropriately, providing only the best
possible service with the information at
hand. If we do act professionally we can be
proud of our industry and continue to grow
in this ever-increasing secular society.
For more on the AOIC go to www.
independentcelebrants.com
www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk