The Funeral Celebrant Accord

The Funeral Celebrant Accord defines the attributes and skills required of an excellent funeral celebrant and is intended to set the standards by which all celebrants offering funeral services should be measured.

The role of a funeral celebrant is to serve the bereaved and their community by creating and leading a personal, accurate and respectful funeral ceremony.

Their work should clearly reflect the life, values and beliefs of the person who has died, acknowledge and give time to their community of family and friends, and create an environment in which the grieving process can be held and supported.

An excellent funeral celebrant:

1. Is professional

2. Cares for their clients

3. Is calm and shows natural leadership

4. Writes personalised ceremonies

5. Cares about their self-development

1.

Is professional

  • They are easy to contact, friendly, approachable, and communicate well with fellow professionals. They are prompt, reliable, efficient and organised. They are able to remain open and empathetic, at the same time as recognising the professional stance necessary to lead the funeral appropriately.
  • They have good computer and IT skills that support effective communication and produce professional looking scripts that can be offered as keepsakes.
  • They are GDPR aware and compliant; work confidentially, and have Personal Liability Insurance and Indemnity Insurance.
  • They are well groomed and appropriately dressed.

2.

Cares for their clients

  • They offer to visit clients at home, and give as much time as is needed for the interview and to create the funeral ceremony.
  • They are inclusive, flexible and non-judgemental. They engender trust through openness, sensitivity and confidentiality.
  • They are willing to involve family and friends in creating the funeral, and offer to send the script for approval before the funeral.
  • They meet and greet their clients at the venue, and are available immediately after the funeral ceremony.
  • They understand that a successful funeral is one that serves and supports the bereaved and reflect the life, values and beliefs of the person who has died.

3.

Is calm and shows natural leadership

  • They have a calm and reassuring presence, providing gentle leadership without seeking to be the centre of attention.
  • They are a clear, confident and engaging speaker with a range of pace and intonation.
  • They are responsive to what is happening in the room and the environment, and are able to think on their feet and adapt where necessary.

4.

Writes personalised ceremonies

  • Every ceremony is unique, and created following a detailed and extensive interview with the relevant family and community of the person who has died, whenever possible.
  • Every ceremony draws out and encourages the family’s own tastes in culture and literature, using the celebrants own knowledge and resources as appropriate. 
  • Every ceremony is meaningful, inspiring and well structured, with a script that accurately reflects the life, values and beliefs of the person who has died. 
  • Every ceremony includes language and ritual that is appropriate to the family they serve.

5.

Cares about their self-development

  • They are on a continuing path of personal and professional development to keep informing and improving the profound and varied demands of celebrancy work.

Download The Accord

Click the button below to download a PDF of The Accord as detailed on this page. 

Adopt the Accord

If you have read The Accord and agree with the criteria that define a good celebrant, please Adopt The Accord and share it with your friends, colleagues or fellow funeral professionals

Disclaimer

By displaying the ‘I’ve adopted the Celebrancy Accord’ symbol, celebrants are confirming that they are willing to be measured against the attributes and skills defined in the Funeral Celebrant Accord detailed on this page.

Use of the Accord symbol does not imply that the Funeral Celebrancy Council endorses either the individual or the standard of their work and the Funeral Celebrancy Council can not be held responsible for any individual failing to deliver best practice.