Children’s Funeral Fund for England.
The loss of a child is something no parent should ever have to contemplate, let alone experience. During this emotional and turbulent time, organising and paying for a funeral is the last thing a grieving parent wants to consider.
Each year in England there are approximately 3,800 deaths of children from birth up to and including age 17, and 2,700 post 24-week stillbirths. Burial and cremation fees for children approximately range from around £500 to £1,500 but in some cases can be over £5,000.
The fund was established on 23 July 2019 after a cross-party campaign led by Carolyn Harris MP who successfully saw a parliamentary commitment to create a fund that ensures no parent bears the full funeral cost following the death of a child.
Operated by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the fund can help pay towards the fees and expenses for any child or infant funeral taking place in England.
The challenge.
The timescale for delivery of this programme was extremely tight – with only 12 weeks outlaid from parliamentary approval to delivery of the scheme. Additionally, there was no existing MoJ reference model so a completely new people, process and technological solution was required.
Reviewing claims with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) funeral fund to ensure maximum benefit is awarded to the parents who have lost an infant or child, created complex business rules and departmental interdependencies. To this end, SSCL identified the need to develop an end-to-end payment and case management system.
Additional assessments also indicated that a safe and fully compliant digital solution was required, one that was designed to Government Digital Service standards that would enable grieving parents to claim more easily and with less emotional distress.
Our solution – A holistic approach.
The delicate nature and urgency of this project, coupled with the specific requirements of delivery, meant that SSCL designed and launched a completely new citizen service with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready for delivery within the 12-week timescale. Moreover, a comprehensive plan for a full operational service was developed and ready for implementation within the required time.
The key to this success lay in collaborative working.
Taking a completely holistic approach to this project SSCL worked collaboratively with the MoJ teams including Counter Fraud, and created end-to-end business processes and encoding policy into business rules.
This collaborative approach allowed for a jointly designed customer centric online application system for bereaved parents and an alternative offline version for all claimant types. This digital solution enabled an easier and more agile process for those needing to claim.
We wanted to further enhance our offering by establishing a multi-channel contact centre where case workers are specifically trained to handle the delicate and sensitive nature of each case. Many of our Subject Matter Experts have direct funeral industry experience providing support to both the client and claimants.
To underpin this, we designed and created a database and analysis engine enabling claim progression, payment tracking, trend and behavioural analysis – giving a much clearer and comprehensive view of each case.
Support every step of the way.
It’s vital that those who need to access the fund have the right information and resources to make such a painful process as easy as possible.
With the solutions SSCL and MoJ developed, those claiming can do so easily, securely and confidentially using online or offline application solutions. The digital service is reinforced with a fully trained and dedicated contact centre team who will support claimants with information, advice and guidance – helping to relieve one less burden during an often difficult and sensitive time.
The team has undergone specialised training to handle the emotional and potentially traumatic complexities of each case with tailored training from charity organisations including Cruse.
Through collaborative working a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) was developed that could flex for unknown volumes with the supporting policy and processes in place. Additionally, policy makers gain confidence that these claimants can claim for maximum amounts (between available funds) and Burial & Cremation Authorities and Funeral Directors can claim using offline application solutions suited to their needs.
Next steps and future visions.
The fund is in its fourth year and throughout that time SSCL’s dedicated team have provided a service that is reliable and efficient whilst providing technical guidance that details recommendations for claimant entitlement.
This guidance is currently under review by the MoJ to ensure the way the fund operates is fulfilling its purpose and to consider if any adjustments or improvements need to be made.
Our willingness to adapt and evolve has been demonstrated from the scheme’s initial development to its current state today. As the fund continues to grow, the team is committed to identifying ways to improve and deliver to a consistently high standard.
”Although our role is not always parent facing, we know that what we do helps families when they are grieving by taking away some of the financial burden of needing to pay for their child’s funeral. It really gives us a sense of achievement knowing that we’re helping to support a child’s loved ones at the most difficult of times.