CHCCEL008 — Plan, present and evaluate funeral and memorial ceremonies

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• planned, and evaluated at least 4 different ceremonies, including both funerals and memorials
• written and evaluated at least 4 eulogies
• presented funeral or memorial ceremonies using presentation techniques suited to those ceremonies for at least 2 of the following situations, including the delivery of at least 1 eulogy - death of a young person - an unexpected accidental death - an older person.

Knowledge evidence

• legal and ethical considerations for the conduct of funeral and memorial ceremonies, and how these apply in individual practice
• codes of practice, including professional funeral services industry parameters and protocols in dealing with the bereaved and the deceased
• duty of care
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• records management
• work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations
• funeral celebrant role in the ceremony and civil celebrant role in providing an inclusive ceremony
• roles and responsibilities of funeral services personnel and external contractors and agencies and working within these
• potential differences between the celebrant’s role in funerals and memorial services
• history, current practices and changing attitudes to dying and death care in Australia
• physiology of dying and death – basic processes and time frames
• the process of how a person is treated from the point of death until burial or care/dispersal of their remains/ashes, if the body is cremated, and relationship with the celebrant’s involvement
• social, religious and cultural differences and traditions that impact on funeral and memorial ceremonies, including - burial and interment - disposal of human remains - traditions related to loss and grief
• historical, current and emerging options that families have for - preparing for and dealing with death - place and timing of the ceremony - disposal of the body
• challenges in working with bereaved families and friends and defence mechanisms of the bereaved, differing perceptions and experiences of the deceased, dealing with unfinished business, offering support and hope whilst honouring the loss and grief of the bereaved, for both close family, friends and others
• different structures and features of funeral and memorial ceremonies, including - burial - interment - cremation - entombment - placing or scattering of ashes - committal style
• types of practical considerations for funeral ceremonies, including - potential time restrictions and options - venue constraints and options - requirements for communication with funeral services personnel
• resources used when conducting funeral/memorial ceremonies to bring consciousness to the sense of loss and thankfulness for the life lived - poetry and prose (secular and religious) - the placing of special personal effects with the deceased - photographs - use of music - audiovisual - choice and placement of flowers - use of lighting - placement of candles - inclusion of other speakers or readers - ceremony programs
• ways to use the ceremony to celebrate and honour the life of the deceased
• public speaking and presentation techniques, and how these may be used and adapted for funeral and memorial services
• role and importance of evaluation, including: - how to incorporate evaluation into practice - techniques for obtaining feedback from clients - techniques and process for self-evaluation
• importance of self-care, and self-care strategies.

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Questions about assessing CHCCEL008