September 2014

 
Welcome to the latest edition of the Institute Update

A very warm welcome to our newest members: Chris Mills, Jan Di Marco, John Culling, Philippa Hawkins, David Cowley and Steve Blakeley.
 

Council Update

I hope you have all been able to take advantage of some of the summer sunshine either at home or away and managed to take some 'time out' from funeral celebrancy. It is very difficult, when self-employed, to actually commit to some time off and, in our case, 'turn down a funeral'! However, a break does give you chance to re-charge your batteries and a phone call to funeral arrangers on your return to work soon gets you back to the top of their list.

It has been a busy summer for the Council. Despite being in the midst of a season of celebration of the Institute's 10th anniversary, we are already concentrating on how the IoCF can move forward in the next 10 years. Our aim is to continue to be a well-respected support organisation for self-employed independent funeral celebrants and to present ourselves nationally as the first choice option for families and funeral arrangers requiring a civil funeral.

In moving forward, it is, of course, also time to reflect on the past 10 years and examine all aspects of the workings of the IoCF, something which, I am sure you can imagine, will take time. The Institute has evolved as it has grown and will continue to do so. Indeed, it should be constantly evolving to meet the ever changing needs of its membership who work in a profession that itself is going through a period of change.

The Council meeting in August focused on how membership of the IoCF has changed. Joining the Institute is no longer an automatic follow-on from completing CCL training, as was the case up until 2012, and now all celebrants have to apply to join the Institute. CCL remains our preferred trainer and a Level 3 or Diploma qualification the necessary level of achievement to be accepted into the IoCF.

It is still possible for those who have not trained with CCL but who have experience in drawing up and conducting what are, in effect, civil funerals, to apply for membership of the Institute. Applicants must supply five scripts and references from two funeral directors which whom they have worked, and must complete an assessment session with a Council member. Membership in this instance is granted at the discretion of the Council. The website has been updated to reflect this.

The website home page now carries the logo of the Child Funeral Charity, which we have adopted as our 'Charity of the Year'. The CFC, set up by Anne Barber and others, provides support and funding for child and baby funerals. The raffle of a quilt donated by Barbara Pearce raised £276 for the CFC - thank you to those of you who bought tickets. In due course, Anne will be compiling a list of IoCF members who are willing to provide a funeral ceremony for a child or baby free of charge through the charity. There will be a form in the delegate pack at conference for you to provide your details to Anne - or you can contact her directly if you are not attending the conference. (Anne will also be selling an update of resources from her CCL training course at the conference.)

Still on the website, in the Members' Area the resources have been reorganised to make it easier to find what you need. Revised versions of two policies (Complaints and Ts & Cs for events bookings) have also been updated.

Turning to Conference - you should have all received your invite and conference programme (if not, please contact Barbara - barbara@iocf.org.uk) - do remember to reserve your place before 24th October.

As is usual, the IoCF AGM will be held at the end of the Saturday session of conference. If you have an item which you would like to raise with regard to the running of the Institute that you think is of relevance and importance to members, please email our secretary, Janice Thomson (janice_thomson@hotmail.com) for inclusion on the agenda.

Also as is customary, the election of Council members will be held at the AGM. There are at least two seats being vacated this year and notice of nominations for election will be published next month. If you feel you can contribute to Council, please contact any Council member to find out what is involved, and do please think about joining the Council to be part of taking the ioCF into the next 10 years.

Best wishes
Christine Ogden
 

 
Admin News

Funeralmap
A reminder - one of your member benefits is a free listing on Funeralmap. Do double-check your entry by going to the FuneralMap website (www.funeralmap.co.uk), select the 'Celebrants' box in the green search box, enter your nearest town and a reasonable search distance. This takes you to a clarification box - check the information and click 'select location'. Celebrants are marked by a blue icon - hover over the icon to reveal the name. Click on the icon and it will reveal the details.

If your details are missing, incorrect or need updating please email Funeralmap directly at info@funeralmap.co.uk
 

IoCF Stationery
To order any IoCF stationery, simply contact Barbara (barbara@iocf.org.uk).

Overprinted leaflets - 12p each
Business cards - a sliding scale dependent upon quantity
Presentation Sleeve - £10 for 10
Headed Paper (50 sheets) - £6
Compliment Slips (50 slips) - £6
Zipped Writing Case - £20
Presentation Folder - £10

 

Website News

Members' Area & Forum

if you are having any difficulty accessing either the members' area or forum, here are are few points which might help:

• If you have lost your usernames and passwords (different for each area), contact Barbara (Barbara@iocf.org.uk) who will arrange for them to be sent out again to you.
• Log-in to both pages and tick the 'remember me' box so that you will not have to remember your password etc again.
• After that, when you log-in to the forum, even though the 'sign in' window appears you can ignore that by clicking straight on the 'home' tab - top left of page - and you will be straight into the home page of the forum.

And please use the forum: it is a brilliant way of feeling 'connected' to other celebrants.

 
Training Courses

New Courses for Advanced Practice Level 4 and Level 2 training are now available from Civil Ceremonies. Details of all the courses can be found on the Civil Ceremonies website.

Level 2
Poetry and Readings for Funerals - Tuesday 11th November

Level 4
Advanced Practice Voice and Delivery Skills for Funeral Celebrants - Tuesday 4th November
Advanced Practice Tribute Writing Techniques - Wednesday 5th November
Advanced Practice Bereavement Interviews - Wednesday 12th November
Advanced Practice Child and Baby Funerals - Wednesday 19th November

Level 4 courses and Advanced Practice Diploma
You do not have to take the full qualification for Level 4 courses; you can just attend the course and receive all the coaching, resources and information. If you take the qualification, you will be required to complete distance learning after the one day session and submit for assessment. This work is at Level 4 standard and you will receive full certification for each separate course from the awarding body. If you achieve three of the above four Level 4 qualifications, Civil Ceremonies will also award you with an Advanced Practice Diploma in recognition of your achievement.

All courses are all externally accredited and are held at either the Claret Centre in Buckden or at CCL's offices in Kimbolton. Fees include OCN or NOCN assessment, registration and certification. Refreshments, lunch and full course materials are included. Accommodation is available at very reasonable cost at the Claret Centre if required.

To book please call CCL on 0845 0048608 - remember, IoCF members receive a 10% discount on course fees.

 
Database Statistics

Here are the stats for May 2014.

Total number of booking forms logged: 581

 
2014 Diary Dates

 
And Finally ...

Congratulations to the following members who have reached another milestone in their work; Karen Hopkins, Viv O'Neill, Patsy Gamble, Geoff Wood, Jane Grimes, Jeremy Caddy, Jo Donlevy and Jean Martindale.
 

And thank you for reading.
Barbara