Bereavement Conference for Registrars
The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) reinforced its commitment to encouraging the various organisations that work within the funeral sector to ensure bereaved families receive the very best service by supporting the Bereavement Conference for Registrars.
Co-sponsored by The Bereavement Register and the Bereavement Advice Centre and organised by Civil Ceremonies Ltd, this one-day event was attended by more than 120 registration officers from England and Wales.
The Conference comprised a series of presentations on the latest developments in key bereavement areas to update registrars on all aspects of the industry that impact on death registration.
NAFD chief executive officer Alan Slater, who was one of nine key speakers, gave an overview of the changes the funeral industry is experiencing and why it is so important that the various groups work together on issues of common interest.
“The conference was targeted at everyone involved in the management of registration services, but was especially relevant to the front line staff that register deaths, as they come into direct contact with bereaved families and are in a position to pass on a wealth of information,” he says.
“We were delighted to play our part in this inaugural event, which put registrars in the picture about a number of important developments.”
Other presentations included an update on developments in Local Authority guidelines on bereavement issues by LACORS, the latest news on the reform of the Coroners’ service from representatives from the Coroners Unit at the Department of Constitutional Affairs and the invaluable work carried out by the Bereavement Register in stopping junk mail to people who have died.
Since registrars work closely with hospital bereavement services, information from Anne Wadey on developments in this area was of great interest, as was the information on child and baby deaths supplied by the Child Bereavement Trust.
The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management highlighted improvements to services for the bereaved, and there was an overview of the new Bereavement Advice Centre, the not-for-profit initiative in which the NAFD is the principal partner. The event was brought to a close with an invaluable perspective from the General Register Office.
Anne Barber, chairman of the Institute of Civil Funerals and managing director of Civil Ceremonies Ltd, who presided over the day’s programme, said: “The feedback has been excellent – it is clear the conference provided some really useful information that will be of practical help to registrars in their day-to-day work.
“In fact, the day was so successful that we are going to organise a series of regional conferences on the same theme to give registrars from all areas of England and Wales the chance to access this important information.”