Ministry of Justice
The coroner’s office will:
- explain the role of the coroner and answer your questions about coroner investigations;
- give you contact details for the office, i.e. a named individual and his or her phone number or email address (you may wish to make a note of this in section 15 of this booklet);
- help you understand the cause of death;
- inform you of your rights and responsibilities;
- take account where possible of your views and expectations, including family and community preferences, traditions and religious requirements relating to mourning, post-mortem examinations and funerals;
- provide a welcoming and safe environment and treat you with fairness, respect and sensitivity;
- act with compassion and without judgement about the deceased and the cause of death;
- treat children and young people involved in an investigation in an age-appropriate way in co-operation with the adult(s) responsible for their care;
- make reasonable adjustments, wherever possible, to accommodate your needs if you have a disability (including a learning disability);
- help you to find further support where needed;
- during a long investigation, unless otherwise agreed with you, contact you at least every three months to update you on the progress of the case, and explain reasons for any delays; 2
- explain, where relevant, why the coroner intends to take no further action in a particular case.
The coroner’s office cannot give any legal advice.