Application
This unit applies to funeral home staff and involves working autonomously with a high level of responsibility and liaising with other staff. | |
Prerequisites
Nil | |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA | ||
1 | Assess family's viewing needs. | 1.1 | Liaise with family to identify viewing requests and requirements. |
1.2 | Communicate viewing guidelines to relatives according to workplace policies and procedures. | ||
2 | Arrange viewing of the deceased person. | 2.1 | Liaise with mortuary personnel to arrange appropriate preparation of body for viewing. |
2.2 | Liaise with appropriate funeral and third-party personnel to arrange a viewing time and location. | ||
2.3 | Determine viewing details and information and inform the family. | ||
2.4 | Determine boundaries for the conduct of viewing and inform the family. | ||
2.5 | Arrange viewing area according to social, cultural and religious requirements, family's instructions, workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation. | ||
2.6 | Position coffin or casket correctly for viewing the deceased person. | ||
2.7 | Provide first aid facilities to deal with grief reactions according to workplace policies and procedures. | ||
3 | Oversee viewing of the deceased person. | 3.1 | Meet and escort family to viewing area at appointed time. |
3.2 | Explain proceedings to the family and answer questions that may arise. | ||
3.3 | Oversee viewing discreetly and respond to additional family requests or grief reactions according to workplace policies and procedures. | ||
3.4 | Enforce time restraints sensitively as required. | ||
3.5 | Escort family from viewing area at appropriate time. |
Required Skills
Required skills |
communication and teamwork skills, including clear and direct communication and active listening and questioning techniques, using language and concepts appropriate to cultural differences and using and interpreting non-verbal communication to: identify and confirm client requirements liaise with relevant parties to the viewing confirm and communicate relevant information problem-solving skills to answer questions and accommodate additional family requests customer service skills, including ability to maintain confidentiality of client information organisational and time management skills to arrange viewings and manage time constraints. |
Required knowledge |
funeral operating procedures social, religious and cultural differences and traditions workplace policies and procedures regarding the conduct of viewings first aid procedures professional funeral services industry parameters and protocols for dealing with the deceased and the bereaved. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the following is essential: ability to determine family's viewing requirements, liaise with family and relevant personnel to arrange and oversee viewings that meet family, workplace and legislative requirements sensitive communication, according to funeral services industry parameters and protocols, with the bereaved at all times and ability to sensitively respond to additional family requests and concerns during the viewing arranging and overseeing viewings on multiple occasions to ensure consistency of performance and ability to respond to different situations. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: demonstration of skills in an environment where viewings can take place access to appropriate computers, communication technology and software programs to arrange viewings interaction with diverse client types to allow candidate to respond to range of viewing requirements and client requests access to first aid facilities. |
Methods of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: observation of candidate assessing family's viewing requirements and liaising with relevant personnel to arrange and oversee viewing of the deceased person written or verbal questioning to assess knowledge and understanding of dealing with grief responses and the application of workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation with regard to viewings review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate. Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: SIFFNL003A Arrange funerals. |
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Family may include: | immediate family extended family designated people, including friends. |
Viewing requests and requirements may include: | public or private viewing placing special personal effects with the deceased use of music placement of candles choice and placement of flowers photographs time required between death and burial or cremation specific coffin or casket design special locations or time social, cultural and religious considerations, such as: funeral and mourning dress standards funeral rites cultural rituals to assist grieving community support duration of mourning religious denomination spiritual or cultural symbolism public profile of the deceased aesthetics taboos regarding death access and attitude to grief counselling. |
Viewing guidelines may include: | legal requirements embalming technique condition of deceased geographical location special locations or time. |
Workplace policies and procedures may include: | standard operating policies and procedures communication protocols personal presentation standards and certification requirements quality assurance procedures OHS procedures emergency procedures, including fire and accident procedures security procedures. |
Funeral and third-party personnel may include: | funeral director funeral arranger other staff members coffin or casket manufacturer florist transfer staff transportation services church or chapel coordinator clergy or celebrant support groups mortuary technician embalmer registrar of births, deaths and marriages coroner. |
Viewing details and information may include: | time location duration possible grief reactions available assistance. |
Relevant legislation and regulations may include: | OHS cemetery Acts and by-laws Crematorium Acts local government regulations Privacy Acts. |
Grief reactions may include: | fainting anger general distress. |
Sectors
Sector | Funeral Services |
Competency Field
Funeral Operations | |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. | |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.