Background
Formed in April 2011, after discussions relating to the ethics and practicalities of working in forensic archaeology. The group promotes good practice in forensic archaeology work to ensure that appropriate standards and guidance for forensic archaeology are adopted, maintained and enforced.
In addition, the group advises CIfA Advisory Council on issues relating to forensic archaeology, disseminates information relating to forensic archaeology, and facilitates the exchange of information and ideas between practitioners and bodies both within the UK and internationally.
Join the Group
Membership of the Forensic Archaeology Special Interest (FASIG) Group is free for CIfA members, just email groups [at] archaeologists.net. Non-members need to pay an annual £10 fee.
Twitter: follow @CIfA_FASIG on Twitter
Discord: Group members can request to join by emailing groups [at] archaeologists.net.
Committee
Rob Janaway (Chair)
Sabrina Ki (Secretary)
Laura Evis (Treasurer)
Alastair Vannan
Denise Hillier
Deborah Ryder
Peter Schofield
Anna Chaussee
FAEP: Forensic Archaeology Expert Register and Panel (Expert Panel)
The Forensic Archaeology Expert Register and Panel (FAEP) has been established by the CIfA Board of Directors and operates in accordance with the Forensic Archaeology Special Interest Group constitution.
Membership of the Expert Panel is open to all practising forensic archaeologists who must be accredited at Member level (MCIfA) and who have demonstrated competence against the CIfA Forensic specialist competency matrix, below. You can find the application form and regulations on the FAEP webpage. The Expert Panel is recognised by the Home Office Forensic Science Regulator and a list of panel members can be found here as well.
Standard and guidance
The group has developed the Standard and guidance document for forensic archaeologists, which can be found on the CIfA Code regulations and standards webpage. The adoption of this Standard was approved by IfA Council in October 2011 and has since been endorsed by the Home Office Forensic Science Regulator.
Business Plan
Specialist competence matrix
This specialist matrix is to assist applicants and the Validation committee to see where you demonstrate the grade applied for when working in Forensic archaeology.
Forthcoming events
For information about upcoming events, please visit our event calendar.
Previous events
- Forensic Archaeology Group first annual poster conference, March 2021. Group members can view the posters here.
- Forensic Archaeology held their AGM on 17th July 2019 at the Canada Water Library in SE London, at 10:30-12:00.
- Estimating the Post-Mortem Interval: From Early Decomposition to Skeletonisation Saturday 24th March 2018, Lancashire, UK,
Morning: Presentations covering current trends in major areas of taphonomic practice: post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation, volatile organic compounds (VOC) estimation, actualistic whole-body modelling and taphonomic facilities, burial and post-mortem biomes, and osseous taphonomy. Followed by an open-round table discussion between academics, practitioners, end-users and regulators into standardisation of research and practice.
Afternoon: there was a hands-on practical on PMI estimation in which attendees were able to apply different methods to a single simulated case. This comprised of a short series of lectures on decomposition processes and chemistry, entomology and body scoring systems, and post-skeletonisation methods.
Newsletters
AGM minutes
2022 AGM Minutes
2020 AGM Minutes
Committee minutes
April 2023
January 2023
2022 meeting minutes coming soon.
2021 meeting minutes coming soon.
2020 meeting minutes coming soon.
July 2019
