Full Membership
We are delighted that you are interested in joining the Institute of Civil Funerals.
The Council of Management views quality of performance by is celebrants as the key to its future growth:
the industry and its clients need to feel secure in the professional quality and sensitivity of the ceremonies we offer.
There are two possible routes to obtain membership and the following credentials are required before initial
application for membership of the Institute of Civil Funerals can be accepted.
The following criteria has been approved by the Board.
Route A
This route is for those who have attended a Civil Funeral Training
course which has been approved by the Council of Management.
- The applicant should have attended and successfully completed a Civil Funeral Training Course approved by the Council
- The applicant should have conducted at least one (1) Civil Funeral, after completion of the training course
- The applicant should have submitted all relevant paperwork for this funeral, including the final completed ceremony script, for assessment.
Route B
This route is for those who have gained experience in drawing up and conducting funerals in another
context, over a period of time and for a variety of clients
- The applicant should submit a minimum of five (5) full funeral texts from funerals that they have delivered during the course of their career;
the funeral texts should all include a personal tribute to the deceased that applicants have written themselves.
- The applicant will be asked to attend an assessment session at a central location
and deliver a ceremony text to the satisfaction of the *assessor appointed by the Institute
Renewal
The maintenance of standards over time obliges us to adopt a number of standard procedures and the
Council has put in place the following requirements for membership to be re-issued in subsequent years:
- Celebrant members will be required to submit a **Booking Form for every funeral conducted and copies of a
minimum of 5 full civil funeral ceremony scripts every year. (These scripts will be read and assessed and
retained to form part of the Celebrant's personal file).
- Renewal of annual membership will normally involve the attendance of an appointed assessor at a
Civil Funeral conducted by the member. Where appropriate, constructive feedback will be provided to the member
- Members will also be required to offer a full text of the ceremony in a suitable format to all clients after the funeral;
this will be monitored by the quality questionnaire feedback
* Assessor An appointed assessor may include: a member of the Council of Management, a Crematorium Manager
or Senior Chapel Attendant or other person approved by the Council due to their position and understanding of Civil Funeral Ceremonies.
** The Booking Form provides basic details about the funeral,
client and funeral director. These forms enable the Institute to keep track of the growth in number of Civil Funerals,
and make it possible to issue a quality questionnaire to clients after an appropriate time and with their
prior agreement. It will be a condition of ongoing membership that such forms are submitted
