The role of the funeral director
Funeral directors perform a unique and indespensable role in our society.
It is a role that is part vocation, part profession and part trade. The funeral director must always be available in time of need. He or she must provide emotional support, expert advice and practical help.
Emotional support
It is the funeral director's task to help his client cope with the varying emotional reactions to bereavement - grief, bewilderment, indecision, anger - and support them through this most difficult time.
Expert advice
The funeral director's sympathetic ear is all the more valuable because he is dealing with the practicalities of the funeral. He will listen to the bereaved as they decide what sort of funeral they want. He will inform them about the types of funeral available, the types of service, the forms to be filled in, the funds available. Funeral directors, as a matter of course, must be up to date with the changes in Social Fund regulations relating to funeral payments. They must know how to repatriate a body to and from abroad, deal with different ethnic and religious groupings. They must be aware of the special needs involved in support of those who have suffered from an accidental or other sudden death. They will advise on the special legal requirements relating to the Coroner, and on where and when the death must be registered. They will advise on and place death notices in local and national newspapers.
Practical help
On a strictly practical side they will, of course, remove the body from the place of death to a place of rest, where the bereaved may view if they wish. The body will be cared for until the time of the funeral. All forms will be completed and all charges paid in connection with the funeral on behalf of the client. Negotiations will be conducted with the minister and a mutually convenient time for the funeral arranged. Transport will be arranged for the mourners if necessary. Flowers and hymn sheets can also be provided. The funeral director will be responsible for the overall supervision of the funeral itself and always be available from the time of death to the ceremony and afterwards for help, support, guidance and comfort. The funeral director does a 24-hour-a-day job. Unlike other professions, there are no get-out clauses: once he has promised a funeral at a given time and a given place, then he or she must deliver, regardless of circumstances. the funeral itself must be carried our with split-second timing. In taking instructions from a client, the funeral director commits hundreds of thousands of pounds of equipment and time without any checks on credit worthiness, and with an absolute commitment to deliver.