The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) is a trade association whose members are all independent funeral directors. The funeral service they offer is not part of a national or international conglomerate or chain, but is privately owned and managed. In fact, a large proportion of our members funeral homes have been run by the same family for generations.

Independent funeral directors are known for their high standard of service and a caring, traditional approach to their local communities, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. SAIF has approaching 700 members nationally. By choosing a SAIF member when the need arises, you are therefore assured of a trusted and caring professional who is dedicated to serving the needs of the community.

In order to become a member of SAIF, a firm must have a trading history and/or extensive experience and/or qualifications in funeral service, must agree to comply with the code of practice and must undertake a premises inspection. Only when all these criteria are met, does the Society’s Executive Committee meet to discuss the application when it is either accepted or rejected.

SAIF has a committee set up specifically to monitor these criteria and strives to continually improve upon standards. If a member does not maintain standards a disciplinary procedure has been established which runs in conjunction with a complaints procedure.

To find out more about the standards you can expect, please see our detailed code of practice. To locate a SAIF funeral director in your area, please use our search facility