Our trade body memberships

Last week we were very proud to receive the news that after an intensive inspection we have been accepted as full members of The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). We felt last week was not the right time to make any kind of announcement, so we have waited until now.

We have been members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) since 2020, we applied as soon as we opened Katie Mills Independent Funeral Service. We are very proud to be active members of both the NAFD and now SAIF.

There is a cost and a time commitment to being part of any industry trade body and in the UK Funeral Industry, it is a purely voluntary decision to become a member. We chose to become members of the two major trade bodies because we want to be an active part of a wider organisation that is there to support the funeral directors in performing their duty of care and service for the families who instruct us to look after the arrangements of their loved one’s funeral.

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) is over 100 years old and takes its origins from the British Undertakers Association and Worshipful Company of Upholders in its infancy. The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) was established in 1989. The NAFD supports the funeral profession in general, SAIF concentrates solely on Independent Funeral Directors in particular.

There are huge differences in the structure and running of a corporate to an independent funeral service. With the welcomed changes facing the funeral industry at present, we want to be an active voice in that change, and we felt that we wanted to have the support of both bodies as the funeral industry faces changes across the board.

Being a member of both associations requires time, effort and expense from ourselves. Both organisations demand a high level of standards which are separately and independently set by both organisations. Our membership means we have reached these requirements. We can publicly show that as a small independent business, we are reaching the highest levels of quality in the care and service we provide. We undergo intense scrutiny from inspectors that ensure we are doing the right thing for both our clients and our staff and upholding the integrity of our industry. The trade associations encourage ongoing training, qualifications and support so we can continually develop and strive to better serve our clients.

What this all means for our clients is simple. Our membership in these trade associations gives the reassurance we are operating at the highest possible set of standards as set within our industry. Publicly displaying our membership by using their logos or in writing, shows that we have obtained those standards and they can trust us to always serve them with dignity and respect.

These bodies also give a clear and open arbitration and intervention service to clients who feel they have not been treated fairly by their chosen funeral director. We are proud to show our membership logos, as a benchmark of what is right and ethical within our chosen profession.