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What is Griefcare?
The Griefcare commitment For more than 60 years, the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) has set high standards for its members. The profession has an excellent reputation and funeral directors are respected members of their communities. However, the funeral directing profession in New Zealand is virtually unregulated. To protect the public, the Association has launched Griefcare, a quality assurance programme for New Zealand funeral practices. Griefcare is open to all funeral practices that join the Association and agree to comply with the strict standards of the programme. Funeral practices that display the Griefcare logo:
The Griefcare logo is your assurance of ethical, caring and professional service. The Griefcare commitmentFuneral practices that have chosen to become Griefcare accredited have agreed to be legally bound by their commitment to ethical, caring and professional service. Each year, there are some 26,000 funerals in New Zealand. About 90 per cent of these are conducted by funeral practices that are members of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ). Griefcare formalises the commitment FDANZ members have long held to excellence in all their activities. Qualified staffClient care in each Griefcare accredited funeral practice is supervised by a nominated professional. These professionals have tertiary qualifications in funeral directing, or are recognised by their peers as having the necessary experience. They attend regular training courses to maintain their funeral practice’s Griefcare status. Code of EthicsGriefcare funeral practices and the registered funeral directors on their staff comply with the FDANZ Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct. These codes recognise that funeral directors have responsibilities to the bereaved, the public at large and the profession to which they belong. You can expect your Griefcare funeral director to:
Pre-paid funeral fundsPre-payment of your funeral has many benefits. All Griefcare funeral practices that offer pre-paid funerals are required by FDANZ to sign an annual Statutory Declaration confirming that the investment of funds meets all statutory requirements. The FDANZ Family Bereavement Plan meets all such requirements and is the only plan endorsed by FDANZ. Brochures and investment statements for the Plan are available from FDANZ. Accredited premisesGriefcare funeral practices are inspected and assessed before they are accredited and then once every three years. Facilities are assessed to ensure they are fit for their purpose, clean and well-maintained. Griefcare accreditation means that when a person dies they will be treated with respect and will be prepared for the funeral in proper facilities. Griefcare funeral practices also provide an environment that is respectful of the mourners and the deceased. You will find there is a Griefcare accredited funeral practice which will meet your needs - whatever your social or ethnic group. Disputes resolutionIf you believe a Griefcare funeral director has been unfair, unethical, unprofessional or insensitive, Griefcare can help. A three-stage disputes resolution process includes the option of an appeal to an independent disputes mediator whose decision is final and binding. For more information see the Griefcare Disputes Resolution section on this site. |