Submission to Victorian Funeral Industry Draft Code of Practice

The Victorian Funeral Industry Ministerial Advisory Council has developed a Voluntary Code of Practice for the funeral industry.

GPO Box 123A Melbourne 3001
Tel: 8684 6431 Fax: 8684 6320
Website: www.consumer.vic.gov.au

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4^th September 2009

Dear Kylee

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Victorian Funeral Industry Ministerial Advisory Council's development of a voluntary Code of Practice for the funeral industry, as distributed.

The ACCN is a national celebrant association of over 500 members, many of whom are funeral celebrants, and many of those based in Victoria.

The ACCN appreciates the effort your Department is making to address concerns the community has expressed about the need for transparent, fair and client centered choices for those planning their own funerals, or family and friends left with the responsibility of arranging the range of services required upon a person’s death.

In particular is the need for funeral services to play an information and referral role as well as providing direct services to the deceased and their mourners.

The ACCN’s recommendations relate to funeral staff ensuring that clients understand that there are community based independent civil funeral and religious celebrants, whose services can be separately arranged and hired by the clients. 

Our funeral celebrant members are specifically aware of:
* the limited guidance by some funeral services given to the bereaved about their choices as regards the funeral ceremony, and in particular of their right to hire independent civil or religious celebrants, and
*  the reluctance of some funeral services to offer their clients a range of funeral celebrancy services of differing quality and associated fees.

As a result, the deceased and mourners are not being able to make informed decisions as to the type and style of funeral ceremonial services they could access.

Whilst this is a problem of national concern, our understanding is that Victoria has lead the way in the training of independent civil funeral celebrants and Victoria’s funeral services generally have made good use of their services by working together, particularly in metropolitan areas. This situation is not universal however,

Therefore the ACCN believes any Guidelines for the Care of the Bereaved and the Community needs to highlights the availability of these independent celebrancy services.

 To that end, the ACCN propses these two amendments:

1. After “adequate information, time and space provided to make fully informed choices, the addition of this phrase “about all aspects of the funeral process from death to the final placement of the deceased remains, including the right separately contract the services of  independent civil funeral celebrants, and/ or religious celebrants” to Guiding Principles 6.1 Care of the bereaved dot 8 as shown in Appendix 

1. After “information about the role of associated suppliers”  the addition of this phrase “especially the right separately contract the services of  independent civil funeral celebrants, and/ or religious celebrants” to Guiding Principles 6.3 Care of the community dot 9 as shown in Appendix

Please let me know if you requiere any further information.
Kind regards

Rona Goold

ACCN Director
Head Office PO Box 3113 Robertson NSW 2577
Rona Direct line: 02 4885 2393
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Australian Celebrants & Celebrations Network
Let the celebration be your gift
P: 1300 781 444 local call cost
F: 02 4885 1639
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W: http://www.accn.com.au

APPENDIX:

EXTRACT FROM DRAFT GUIDLING PRINCIPLES

6. Guiding Principles

For the care of the bereaved, the deceased, the community, the industry, and the government, funeral providers need to be guided by the principles that provide the ethical underpinning for the stipulations of the Code.

6.1 Care of the bereaved:

The bereaved have a right to be treated with care, compassion and respect. This means they can expect full consideration be given to culturally specific requirements with regard to rituals of death and burial, subject to statutory health and safety restrictions; and to be fully informed about their choices in regard to the supply of funeral goods and service, and practices such as the storage, handling and treatment of deceased bodies.

*     trained funeral service staff  for communicating with distressed persons in a supportive manner and guiding them through decision-making processes
*       no exploitation or pressure of clients in vulnerable position
*     observe confidentiality and privacy legislation
*     non-discrimination on basis of religion, race, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or disability
*     consideration of financial obligations and limitations
*     explanation of processes and procedures
*       respect for personal choice rather than imposing own ideas about what is best
*     adequate information, time and space provided to make fully informed choices, about all aspects of the funeral process from death to the final placement of the deceased remains, including the right separately contract the services of  independent civil funeral celebrants, and/ or religious celebrants
*     itemised statement of funeral costs provided prior to entering into  agreement/contract
*     access to complaints procedure

6.3 Care of the community:

The community has a right to expect that funeral providers will offer their services and operate their businesses in a professional and non-discriminatory way that is in full accord with the principles of fair trading, and provide those services in a professional manner that avoids causing offence or injury to members of the general community.

*     non-solicitation of deceased human remains or funeral orders or offering or  giving any reward for recommendation to persons or organisations such as  health service establishments, nursing homes, coroner’s office etc.
*     respectful transport
*     ethical advertising and marketing
*       death notices
*     health and safety
*       statutory obligations
*     complaints procedure and system, confidential independent review process
*     expectation to receive written confirmation of arrangements and itemised
*     costs and disbursements
*     information about the role of associated suppliers, especially the right separately contract the services of  independent civil funeral celebrants, and/ or religious celebrants
*       contacts for grief support, and special circumstance financial assistance
*     access to a list of signatories to the code
*     commercially significant sanctions for non-compliance
*       how non-compliance will be handled
*     display the code of practice in a public area
*     Mechanism to ensure consumer awareness – rights and obligations , quality of  service they can expect, how to lodge a complaint