How the new ADNS is making our lives easier

THE 1 MINUTE STORY

WHAT - The Australian Death Notification Service is a service that lets you notify multiple organisations of a death through one simple, secure online platform, reducing the number of difficult conversations. 

WHO - From: The ADNS was developed by the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, within the Department of Customer Service in collaboration with all States and Territories. For: Citizens and organisations.

WHY - Because it's difficult, time consuming and can be costly to manage this process for some people particularly if:

• You live overseas and are responsible for closing the accounts of an Australian loved one. 
• You don't live where the organisations have locations for you to visit to show the certified death certificate. 
• You have a lot of accounts to close across many organisations. 
• If you've ever had to do this you'll know how emotionally draining it is to make the same phone call over and over again. You've lost someone you care about and you have to keep finding the strength to tell people they have died. 

If you've ever had to do this you'll know how emotionally draining it is to make the same phone call over and over again. You've lost someone you care about and you have to keep finding the strength to tell people they have died. 

WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT - Flamingo love to collaborate with anyone working to improve outcomes around end of life which is why we're partnering with The ADNS.

 

 

THE FULL STORY

If you’ve been lucky enough not to be the person responsible for managing it, you’d be shocked at how much administration is involved when someone dies. 

Research conducted by NSW Government indicates the average person completing deceased administration requires an excess of 40 hours to notify a handful of organisations.

Traditionally, you would have to make copies of the death certificate, get it certified then present both the copy and original death certificate to each place you need to notify. Common places include, the bank, telcos, insurance, councils... the list goes on.

Oh, and you’ve often had to do it in person, usually in business hours, find parking, take a ticket, wait. 

What a nightmare. 

Now imagine if you’re in a different location. Many an overseas relative has faced this exact situation. It’s a time-consuming and arduous task, at a time when the last thing you want to be doing is traipsing all over the place. Often in this scenario you would need the help of a consulate official and need to pay international roaming fees to wait on the phone to contact centres.

 

 

 

Enter the Australian Death Notification Service

The Australian Death Notification Service (ADNS), provided by the NSW Department of Customer Service, is a straightforward way to notify multiple organisations when someone has died. 

Launched in 2020, the customer centric service was built in collaboration with all Births, Deaths and Marriages registries across Australia.

Using the ADNS, once the death is registered, you can notify multiple organisations with one message.

 

How it works

After the death is registered with Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state, you will receive the death certificate through your funeral service provider or registered authority:

1. Head to the ADNS website to complete the online form and select the relevant organisations. 
2. Each organisation will get a notification to start the process. 
3. The relevant organisations will follow up with you to finalise everything without the need to present a death certificate each time.

 

Tip for the super-organised:

Check if the organisations you have accounts with are on there, and if not, why not nominate them? Your loved ones will thank you when the time comes.

 

 

Why we love the new ADNS

Collaboration is part of our culture at Flamingo, we know we are a part of a bigger picture and are always on the lookout for ways to achieve better outcomes for everyone. 

That's why we're so excited about our partnership with the ADNS. It means that we’ll be able to contribute suggestions on new functionality designed to help streamline the process further. 

Our goal is to help you automate some of the administrative processes around death so you can spend more time with loved ones and less time completing forms and other paperwork.

 

Things you should know

• The ADNS is quite new, so not all organisations are taking part yet, but the list is growing all the time. You can also nominate organisations on the ADNS website. 
   
• You do need to wait for the death to be registered with Births Deaths and Marriages to use the service.
   
• Many organisations require you to play an authorised person to notify of a death. This usually means being the executor or court appointed administrator. You will need to prove you have the right authorisation. This shouldn't stop you from helping someone else, through the ADNS you can enter the supporting role you play.
   
• Deceased administration is complex and some organisations have policies requiring you to supply additional information, this is because they are protecting the assets and identity of the deceased. If this process becomes difficult, you can go to the support services page within the ADNS or leave feedback through the contact page.
   
• Sophisticated criminal syndicate groups around the world target deceased people because they cannot protect themselves. Notifying as many organisations as possible, as soon as possible will reduce the likelihood of this occurring. Many organisations can place blocks on accounts while you are completing other tasks.
   
• Births, Deaths and Marriages within your jurisdiction notify many government organisations on your behalf, they include the roads, registration and fines administration authorities.

 

Visit the Australian Death Notification Service website 

 

Have you faced problems when notifying of a loved one’s death?

We’d love to know the problems you’ve faced so we can work with industry to make the process less of a burden. Let us know your story and help us identify problems to be solved.

 

Maybe you have something else you want to tell us?

We’re constantly working to make flamingo a better, more useful service, so if you have other feedback, please let us know.

 

 

 

 

 

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Credits: 
Photos supplied by: Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

PLEASE NOTE: Our advice should be considered general in nature. We do not provide any legal, tax, medical or other professional advice and would advise that you seek expert professional or medical advice before making any decisions based on your individual circumstances.