SAIF formally approved as an alternative dispute resolution body

SAIF is pleased to announce that it has been approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body.

It means that the Society has met the stringent criteria needed to resolve disputes between parties out of court, giving members and their clients the confidence that disagreements over complaints will be handled professionally and fairly.

The development also makes SAIF the first UK funeral trade association to attain this status and builds on last year’s achievement of securing ISO 9001:2015 accreditation for its quality management systems.

Members are requested to update their complaints procedure documentation to reference SAIF as the relevant ADR body.

SAIF Chief Executive Terry Tennens said the approval was a ringing endorsement of the Society’s approach to protecting funeral director clients.

He commented: “One of our core roles as a funeral association is to ensure consumers have confidence in the SAIF independent funeral director brand.

“Achieving CTSI approval as an ADR body is very much a part of that mission, and it provides a reassuring backstop for the extremely small number of families who find themselves in dispute with their funeral director at the end of the complaints process.

“I would like to thank the team at SAIF Business Centre who have worked so hard to secure this approval – they really are the backbone of the independent funeral profession.”

Terry added that the approval reinforced the importance of choosing a funeral director in membership of a trade association with recognised consumer protection systems.

SAIF’s status as a CTSI-approved ADR body places it alongside respected organisations such as the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and Ombudsman Services.   

SAIF’s quality management systems received ISO 9001:2015 standard certification from the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) in 2022. The standard is based on a range of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, a process-driven approach and continual improvement.