Order for Release of Body (Form 14)
What Is It?
A Form 14 — Order for Release of Body for Burial (including Cremation) is an order made by the Coroner allowing a deceased person to be released from the custody of the Coroner for burial or other lawful disposal, including cremation.
We do not complete the Form 14. The Coroner does.
When the Coroner has completed and authorised the order, it is sent to us. We then take it with us when collecting the person from the facility where they are being held.
When Do We Need One?
If someone is in the care of the Coroner and their family has engaged MyRest to arrange the funeral, we need to apply for the Form 14 before the person can be released to us.
For us, this will most commonly involve collecting someone from the morgue at the John Tonge Centre, Kessels Road, Coopers Plains.
How Does It Work?
1. We Request the Form 14
We complete the Request for Form 14 — Order for Release of Body for Burial (including Cremation) and send it to the Coroner investigating the death.
The request includes details of the deceased, the person who has engaged us, where the person is being held and our details.
If the person is going to be cremated, we can also attach the Application for Permission to Cremate (Form 1) to this request.
2. The Coroner Issues the Form 14
The Coroner completes and signs the Order for Release of Body (Form 14).
The completed order is then provided to us, usually electronically.
3. We Take It With Us When Collecting
When we attend the facility to collect the person, we provide the completed and authorised Form 14 to the staff holding the person.
For a collection from the John Tonge Centre, this is normally provided to the morgue staff.
The Form 14 is the authority they need to release the person into our care.
If the Person Is Being Cremated
There is an additional step when cremation is planned.
We can submit the Application for Permission to Cremate (Form 1) with our request for the Form 14, selecting the Coroner option rather than the independent doctor.
In a coronial case, the Coroner can then issue a Form 3 — Permission to Cremate.
This is different from the usual process where an independent doctor considers the Form 1 and issues a Form 4 — Permission to Cremate.
The Form 3 is the Coroner’s permission for the cremation to proceed.
Crew Notes
Internal Process
When a family has engaged us and the deceased is in the custody of the Coroner:
- Complete the Request for Form 14.
- If cremation is planned, complete the Form 1 — Application for Permission to Cremate and select the Coroner option.
- Send the request and any required attachments to the Coroner investigating the death.
- Wait for the Coroner to issue the completed and authorised Form 14.
- If cremation was requested, check that the Form 3 — Permission to Cremate has also been received.
- Take the Form 14 with us when collecting the person.
- Present the Form 14 to the staff at the facility where the person is being held.
- Once released, bring the person into our care and continue with the usual Careflow process.
Important
Do not complete the Form 14 ourselves.
The document we complete is the Request for Form 14. The Form 14 itself is completed and authorised by the Coroner.
Make sure we have received the authorised Form 14 before attending the facility for collection.
Common Collection Location
For MyRest, coronial collections are commonly from:
John Tonge Centre
Kessels Road
Coopers Plains
Always check the current collection arrangements before attending, as the location or procedure may vary.
Cremation
If the deceased is to be cremated, check that the Form 1 was submitted to the Coroner rather than an independent doctor.
In this situation, we expect the Coroner to issue a Form 3 — Permission to Cremate, rather than the usual Form 4.
Do not assume that a Form 14 alone provides permission to cremate. The cremation requirements still need to be satisfied.