Frequently asked questions
'Isn't talking about death morbid?' Suggested responses to these and other commonly asked questions to help you in your awareness raising.
10 myth-busting funeral facts
Poppy Mardall, founder and director of award-winning Poppy's Funerals, debunks some widely held beliefs about funerals.
Resources: what to do after someone dies
Dying Matters and National Council for Palliative Care resources
General
Macmillan Cancer Support: After Someone Dies: Coping with Bereavement
Booklet aimed at relatives and friends of anyone who has died from cancer. Offers practical and emotional information and support.
Gov UK: What to do after someone dies
Detailed guide on what to do when someone dies, including when a coroner is involved and when someone dies abroad.
Cruse Bereavement Care: What to do after someone dies
Comprehensive guidance and check-lists to help cope with practical and emotional issues after someone dies.
Citizens Advice Bureau: What to do after a death
Practical information covering everything from dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died to counselling organisations.
Tell Us Once is a service offered by most local authorities on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. The service allows the bereaved person to inform central and local government services of the death at one time rather than having to write, telephone or even attend each service individually.
Post-mortems and inquests
Department for Work and Pensions: What to do after a death
Clear, simple-to-understand information providing a step-by-set guide to the official steps you need to take following a death.
Explains why post-mortems and inquests are carried out.
Babies and young children
Stillbirth and neonatal deaths. Provides support to anyone who is affected by the death of a baby and promotes research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.
Provides specialist support for bereaved families and anyone affected by a sudden infant death.
A free and confidential helpline for anyone who has lost a child.
Organ and tissue donation
Official body for organ donation.
Information about organ donor registration and transplant waiting lists.
A watchdog that supports public confidence by licensing organisations that store and use human tissue for purposes such as research, patient treatment, post-mortem examination, teaching, and public exhibitions. Provides information about how to donate your body, tissues and organs for research.
Organising a funeral
National Association of Funeral Directors
Advice on what a funeral director does and how to choose one (if you decide to use a funeral director), plus the importance of planning your funeral.
An independent body dedicated to supporting, empowering and representing the interests of dying and bereaved people living in the UK.
Funeral Guide
A useful website that helps you compare funeral directors
Funeral Planning Experts
Funeral planning comparison site
Association of Green Funeral Directors
Explains the code of conduct of green funeral directors.
Charity giving free, impartial advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement and consumer rights. Give support on family-organised and environmentally friendly funerals, and run the Association of Natural Burial Grounds.
If someone dies abroad
Citizens Advice Bureau: When someone dies abroad
What to do when someone dies abroad.
Wills and probate
Gov UK Wills, probate and inheritance
Comprehensive information on how to sort through a minefield of legal and financial issues following someone’s death.
Recommended reading
Everything you need to know about organising a funeral.
We need to talk about the Funeral
101 practical ways to commemorate and celebrate life.
The Natural Death Centre Handbook
Important information about approaching the end of life and organising funerals from a green perspective.
View more Dying Matters book recommendations
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This content has been funded by Macmillan Cancer Support.
