Institute of Civil Funerals Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the Institute Update

The start of this month brought the booking of our 30,000th funeral; proof again that the demand for civil funerals led by members of the IoCF is growing. This statistic was, of course, generated by the booking forms sent to Barbara. The data we can collect from the booking forms is vital in providing evidence of our success within the funeral profession and informing the provision of further training and professional development for our members. Likewise the feedback questionnaires sent to families on receipt of the booking forms give the IoCF its unique selling point above other funeral celebrant associations.

The process of providing the Institute with a booking form for every funeral ceremony is an extra task in the list of administration jobs for members and, whilst membership of the IoCF is an agreement to abide by our Code of Practice which lays down this requirement, the Council do very much appreciate the fact that members endeavour to send these to Barbara regularly, regardless of how busy they are. Should you experience any difficulties with the process do let Barbara know before you find yourself with a backlog of ceremonies to register. We shall be going over ways of making the administration process as efficient as possible within the next Best Practice Day.

In addition to growing funeral service numbers, we are pleased to welcome new members to the Institute, Nicki Hallett and Amanda Grant, along with several new associate members who will be receiving this update for the first time. Associate members are immediately entitled to some of the benefits of full membership: most importantly, the offer of support and mentoring from experienced celebrants and a chance to meet other members at a regional meeting in their area, along with the opportunity to join us at a Best Practice Day.

Removing references to CCL from Presentation Scripts and Invoices
Please remember that any reference to Civil Ceremonies Ltd should be removed from all invoices presented to a funeral director, and presentation scripts to families.

You will see that your original course materials have '© Civil Ceremonies Ltd' on them. Training materials ARE copyright to Civil Ceremonies Ltd, however, when you use these as templates for your own documentation, they cease to be CCL copyright, and therefore all reference must be removed.

To remove or alter the footer go to 'View' then 'Headers and footers' and alter CCL to your own reference.

New benefits for members
We are pleased to announce a new benefit available to all full members of the IoCF. As a tenth anniversary gift to the Institute, Anne Barber has generously offered all members a permanent free listing on the Funeralmap website. It will be in the 'Celebrant' category and will show your name, postcode and telephone number (address will not be included unless you specifically ask to show it).

If you are happy to take up her offer then you do not need to do anything. However, should you prefer not to be listed on the website then please contact Barbara to ensure your name is not included.

This does not affect the existing offer which Funeralmap makes to all IoCF members which is a full listing, including all contact details, a photo and wording etc, for half price (£75+VAT per annum).

For more information about Funeralmap go to www.funeralmap.co.uk or contact Stacey on 0845 0048608.

Also, coming soon will be details of our new ID badges. They have taken quite a bit of sourcing but we are nearly there!

How you can help us!
In order that we can pass on the most benefits to you, the Institute is always looking to reduce costs. Postage still remains one of our greatest outlays so here is another reminder that you can all help to reduce that by getting your clients to agree to receive their feedback form via email as often as possible. Most families are happy to provide an email address for you to send the draft of the funeral script to them for checking and so when you confirm with them that they are willing to fill in a feedback form, suggest that it might go to the same address.

Trade Press Articles
The Council works hard to maintain the Institute's presence in the trade press (the funeral directors' associations' journals etc) to ensure that funeral arrangers recognise the IoCF logo and all it stands for.

In addition to advertising, we also strive to get articles published as regularly as possible, and we would like to include as many articles from members as we can. So if you have an idea for an article, do send it to Barbara - perhaps your own personal history and experience as a funeral celebrant, or an unusual ceremony which you have led, or a funeral industry event you have attended (such as a crematorium open day) - for inclusion in the IoCF newsletter or for wider publication where appropriate.

Don't forget to submit any articles or news (such as a new qualification) about yourself to your local press and magazines. They welcome free copy and it is free advertising for you ... and for the IoCF and its members!

Regional Meetings
Regional get-togethers - held where there are several members within a reasonably close distance of each other - are proving very popular. Held in a variety of venues (from members' homes to pubs and restaurants), they are really useful for getting to know other local members, and sharing experiences and ideas.

And of course, building a close regional bond means you can work together to ensure all the funeral arrangers in your area can be guaranteed an IoCF celebrant to lead a civil funeral whenever they need one.

If you are organising a meeting or would like to get together with celebrants in your area, please do post the details on the forum and let Barbara know for inclusion in the newsletter.

Forthcoming Meetings
22nd February - Lincolnshire IoCF Regional Meeting. 1pm at Frankie and Benny's Diner, A46 Ring Road, Lincoln
Email Christine Ogden - kemperpot@aol.com - for more details

Next Council Meeting
The next meeting of the management council of the IoCF will be held on Wednesday, 30th April 2014 at the Institute office in Kimbolton. Again we invite any member who wishes to do so, to join us from 12.30 p.m. onwards for an opportunity to chat with the council and 'sit-in' on the afternoon's business. Please contact Barbara if you would like to join us.

Training Dates
CCL are delighted to announce that the redesigned Child and Baby Funerals and Advanced Tribute courses have been upgraded to national qualifications and are on the Ofqual Register at Level 4.

Wednesday 12th March 2014 - Level 4 Award in Child and Baby Funerals (QCF)
Course tutors : Diana Gould and Anne Barber
Fee: £175 + VAT

Thursday 13th March 2014 - Level 4 Award in Creating and Delivering Funeral Tributes (Advanced Practice) (QCF)
Course tutors: Charles Cowling and Anne Barber
Fee: £195 + VAT

For both of the above courses you can simply attend the day for hints and tips, and glean all that you can to improve your skills without any additional study. They are valuable courses and you will pick up lots of very useful information to improve your practice. Or you can take the Level 4 qualification, which will involve additional work before and after the courses as distance learning. If you take the latter route, these courses will form part of an Advanced Practice Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy which will be introduced later in 2014.

Please note: these courses build on the training you may have already undertaken at Level 3. They are at a higher level than the Funeral Celebrancy Training.

Wednesday 9th April - Level 2 Poetry and Readings at Funerals
Course tutor: John Valentine
Fee: £155 + VAT

A very rewarding course that is brilliant for not only learning how to select appropriate poetry and prose and improving your delivery, but it also provides an invaluable wealth of new material.

Course content includes:
* OCN Accreditation at Level 2
* The purpose of poetry and readings at different times in a funeral
* Verse delivery techniques
* Poetry and prose common characteristics
* Poetry for children's funerals
* A broad selection of examples

For more information on the courses please contact Civil Ceremonies on 0845 0048608.
All IoCF members are entitled to a 10% discount.

Saturday, 5th April 2014
You will by now have received your invitation, by email, to join us at our next Best Practice Day to be held at the St Claret Centre, Buckden, on Saturday 5th April. Do please join us for a day that will include 'something for everyone', whether established members or those just starting out. As well as providing new information and resources, it is a chance to meet up with other members and share those experiences and worries that only other celebrants understand.

Do return your booking form to Barbara as soon as possible to ensure that you get a place on your preferred workshop - by Friday 14th March, at the latest.

Planning ahead
We are already planning another Best Practice Day, to be held in the summer, and the Conference programme is coming together well. However, we would still like to hear from you about anything that you would like us to cover; either from a guest speaker or as a workshop at either event.

We are particularly keen to hear from members who have been asked to include more diverse content in their ceremonies, such as wording or symbolic actions from other cultures, religions or associations (e.g. military, Buffaloes, bikers etc). Members would welcome hearing about this. Would you be willing to share your experience by speaking for a few minutes at the Conference or a Best Practice Day?

Database Statistics

Here are the stats for January 2014.

Total number of booking forms logged: 639

Congratulations to the following members who have reached another milestone in their work; Victoria McKeegan, Sally Randell, Lynn Banham, Chris Howe, Trish Empson, Jenny Gibbs, Jo Donlevy and Peter McNulty.

And thank you for reading.

Best wishes for your continuing success
Christine Ogden