Bereavement

• In times of bereavement

  In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days:
  
  Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death).
  
  Register the death within five days (eight days in Scotland). You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral.
  
  Make the necessary funeral arrangements.

• Register the death

  If the death has been reported to the coroner or procurator fiscal, they must give permission before registering the death.
  
  You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.
  
  You can use the ‘register a death’ page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process. This will also explain the registration process for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• Arrange the funeral

  The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.
  
  Contact the cemeteries and crematorium department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.

• Funeral directors

  Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:
  
  National Association of Funeral Directors
  
  Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors
  
  These organisations have codes of practice. They must give you a price list when asked.
  
  Some local councils run their own British Humanist Association can also help with non-religious funerals.

• Funeral costs

  Funeral costs can include:
  
  Funeral director fees.
  
  Things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death.
  
  Local authority burial or cremation fees.
  
  Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.

Bereavement support

• Roadpeace in East Anglia

  The aftermath of a road crash is devastating. Roadpeace help bereaved families cope and build resilience through peer support, their local group network, befriending service and trauma support programmes. 
  
  Website
  www.roadpeace.org

• Brake

  Brake’s helpline is a quality accredited, Freephone, confidential support service, providing information and advocacy, emotional support and a listening ear for survivors of road crashes.
  
  Website
  www.brake.org.uk

• The Compassionate Friends

  TCF offers many different kinds of support for bereaved families. Whatever the cause of your loss, wherever you are in the UK, and whatever your circumstances, they are here to help.
  
  Website
  www.tcf.org.uk

• Scotty’s Little Soldiers

  Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people who have lost a parent serving in the British Armed Forces.
  
  Website
  www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

• Cruse

  Cruse is committed to breaking the stigma around grief and ensuring that everyone, no matter how old or young, can access the highest quality support following a bereavement.
  
  Website
  www.cruse.org.uk