Frequently Asked Questions.
Answers to common questions, if your question isn’t answered here please get in touch.
IFSO is the Independent Funeral Standards Organisation, a new regulatory body for funeral directors.
IFSO was set up by NAFD with the vision of creating an entirely independent body which could lead on the setting, and oversight, of quality and educational standards within the industry.
There’s been increasing focus on the industry of late, including the CMA’s “Funerals Market Investigation” and the resulting order. For the moment the UK government has elected not to legislate for regulation of the sector, despite there already being a funeral inspectorate in Scotland.
Instead the government seeks to work with the sector in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in what it describes as a “co-regulatory” model, to oversee the development and achievement of standards that will ensure quality and fairness to consumers. IFSO seeks to work with all stakeholders within the sector to understand their needs and also the needs of the consumers they serve and so be able to help shape the successful self-regulation of the industry.
The focus at the moment is on funeral directors. IFSO will start, from January 2022, by taking over responsibility for all the oversight work of NAFD. So, to be clear, if you are a member of NAFD from January 2022 then your compliance with the Funeral Director’s Code of Practice will be overseen by IFSO. NAFD will require its members to comply with the requirements of IFSO as its nominated regulator.
As members you will receive a new quality accreditation mark from IFSO and will be subject to ongoing compliance assessment against the Code of Practice.
In the first instance IFSO is being financed by a grant from NAFD from the membership fees it collects. This will allow the set-up of IFSO over the first year of operation as it focusses on taking over the compliance work which NAFD has led until now.
IFSO, in consultation with NAFD, will communicate further with all prospective members of NAFD before January 2022. On processing of your NAFD membership for next year you will receive a welcome pack from IFSO, including new logos and quality marks which you will be able to use in publicity. NAFD’s quality managers will be transferring to IFSO and you will continue to be contacted about compliance requirements and be subject to visits.
IFSO will also be introducing a risk based audit model which we will explain more fully later. In simple terms, you will be more likely to hear from us about thematic issues and be asked to complete self-assessments from time to time as our work will not be limited to the visits that you have been used to historically.