Created by the National Home Funeral Alliance
The role of a home funeral guide is to educate and empower families to exercise the innate right of caring for their own dead. This is also our mission.
Home funeral guides do not seek to conduct the after-death care themselves. Home funeral guides believe that after-death care is most meaningful when carried out by family and friends of the deceased. Home funeral guides, therefore, seek to minimize the involvement of anyone other than family and friends in after-death care. They are GUIDES and not directors.
Fees levied in exchange for the education and empowerment of families or for ministerial services are in accordance with time invested and are in keeping with the fair business practice of fair compensation for services rendered.
Home funeral guides are advocates for family-centered and family-led funerals. The speak in favor of protecting those rights. They impart the knowledge that families may need in order to be able to exercise that innate right of caring for their own dead. Home funeral guides also educate on the benefits of the home funeral.
Furthermore and specifically:
A home funeral guide will always practice with respect, sensitivity, integrity, clarity, and calmness.
A home funeral guide will maintain high standards of personal conduct in his/her role in educating and guiding families conducting home funerals.
A home funeral guide will maintain familiarity with local and state laws, ordinances, and regulations, especially pertaining to family rights in caring for deceased persons.
The home funeral guide will avail themselves of opportunities for continuing education.
The home funeral guide will see and maintain affiliations with related supportive organizations and associations, and with other home funeral guides.
The home funeral guide will conduct community outreach and education on natural death care, home funerals, and green burial.
A home funeral guide will build liaison relationships with local funeral directors, in order to engage them as necessary to meet a family’s after death care needs.
A home funeral guide will build liaison relationships with local officials charged with the care of deceased persons and their families, such as vital records department personnel, coroners and their deputies.
A home funeral guide will maintain familiarity with the operations, procedures and documentation requirements associated with the work of such officials.