Funeral Celebrants – Support Network

This support network for funeral celebrants has been created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(If you are looking for the 1:1 professional Celebrant Support that is regularly offered by Ceremony Matters please go to celebrantsupport.com)

Who is the Funeral Celebrants – Support Network for?

This is a peer-to-peer resource for any English speaking European/UK  funeral celebrants. There are groups to support each other, to brainstorm and talk, and also regional groups to help each other find cover locally, and share local news. It is open to everyone, irrespective of training or membership organisation or belief. It’s for those who wish to offer support and resources to each other and to enable a co-ordinated and efficient response to this crisis we are facing.

This network will:

• Enable funeral celebrants to continue to provide the best possible service to bereaved people during these extremely challenging times.
• Share best practice and the most up-to-date news, both locally and nationally
• Get to know other celebrants locally and arrange cover in a crisis e.g. should you become unwell or need to self-isolate, and need someone to step in.
• Share funeral director and crematorium policies as they arise and change
• Provide emotional support for each other and sign-posting to support resources for ourselves and our clients 
• Seeking and sharing viable alternatives to traditional funeral services, should gathering be restored or banned.

How will members communicate with each other?

A Slack Workspace has been set up to efficiently facilitate conversations. Slack is a digital tool, a collaboration hub where the right people and the right information come together, helping everyone to get work done. It replaces email and other forms of social media, organising conversations into relevant and focused channels.

Slack is an app, which can be downloaded to your phone, as well as being web-based.

 Why Slack?

Slack is a highly effective and efficient way of teams working together remotely towards a common goal.

Although Facebook groups for funeral celebrants are in existence, the information is often unreliable and drowned out by other information. This Slack channel will strictly be for funeral celebrants only.

As we potentially enter challenging times, funeral professionals may wish to use Facebook to stay up to date with family and friends. The Slack channel will be an opt-in resource for funerals only. Importantly, notifications can be silenced and boundaries put in place. Self-care and knowing when to switch off is going to be increasingly important during the times ahead.

You can share information in the relevant channel, and send direct messages to other members. You can also set up small conversations with specific members to co-ordinate a specific action or share information. Please do not use the channel for general chit-chat. The channel is for co-ordinating a highly effective response to COVID-19.

I’m a funeral celebrant. How can I join the Slack channel?

You can join Funeral Celebrants’ Support Network by emailing your request to Emma Curtis. You will be sent a link which will enable you to create an account and download the app to your phone.

When you request membership, please include your full name, the area you work in and your website address.

We Have Adopted The Accord. Emma is proud to have been a part of the development of the Funeral Celebrant Accord as a representative on the Funeral Celebrancy Council. She is the council’s representative of Independent Celebrants.