9.1 It is the responsibility of relatives/next of kin to instruct a funeral director, arrange for the deceased to be moved, register the death and confirm funeral arrangements. Next of kin can instruct a funeral director over the telephone.
(The contracted advocacy providers free phone number: 0800 644 6448 can signpost people to an appropriate advocacy service if they would like support in arranging a funeral, writing a will etc.)
9.2 Where no one is available/prepared to accept responsibility for an individual’s funeral or estate, the local district or borough council will take responsibility for dealing with these matters and recover the costs from the estate, if there are sufficient funds available. This is done under the provisions of the National Assistance Act 1948 and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.
9.3 The manager of the C&ACD service involved will be responsible for informing the relevant council of the death of an individual in this situation.
9.4 Under no circumstances will C&ACD staff witness wills for individuals receiving services from C&ACD, with whom they have a professional relationship.
