This policy details what happens when a child or young person submits a piece of content about their experiences of grief to Winston’s Wish (the charity that powers Talk Grief), how we make decisions on publishing that content and the measures we follow to make sure bereaved young
people are safe, protected and supported.
This policy exists so that we can ensure every piece of content that gets published on a Winston’s Wish channel (for example on the Winston’s Wish website, social media channels and printed leaflets) is true, respectful and reflects our company values.
This policy applies to bereavement content submitted by individuals with direct experience of grief up to the age of 25 and includes but is not limited to:
Anyone with direct experience of grief up to the age of 25 can submit content.
Individuals do not have to have previously spoken with or received support from Winston’s Wish to submit.
Anonymised creative expressions of personal grief experiences including but not limited to poems, drawings, digital artwork, short stories and songs.
Content should be submitted through our dedicated website for bereaved young people at talkgrief.org/submit
A Content Submission Form must be completed, which includes:
Winston’s Wish is only able to accept content in digital formats. Formats include:
Sizing for social media content:
Every piece of submitted content is reviewed by the Winston’s Wish bereavement team for safeguarding purposes in the first instance (see 7. Safeguarding). If the team finds no safeguarding concerns, the content is passed to the Winston’s Wish marketing team for publication.
Content will appear as submitted without edits on the Grief Uncut section of talkgrief.org.
One some occasions the Winston’s Wish marketing team will select pieces of submitted content to appear on other marketing channels including but not limited to the Winston’s Wish website, social media channels and other media outlets (e.g. on radio or tv). Some user-generated content may be selected for use based on a range of considerations, including (but not limited to):
We strive to make selection decisions fairly and transparently, while maintaining the integrity and mission of our platform. Creators will be contacted prior to publication should their content be selected to appear on other marketing channels.
Content that is chosen to appear on other marketing channels may be subject to the following editorial checks:
At Winston’s Wish we believe that keeping everyone safe is very important. Should your content submission indicate that you or someone you know is at risk, or in danger of harming themselves or someone else, Winston’s Wish will attempt to reach you to discuss this with you and suggest a course of action which in some cases involves contacting your parent/guardian, your GP or 999. Though we will try to speak to you about our concerns first, we reserve the right to act without your consent if we feel that the urgency of the situation requires us to act immediately to safeguard your physical safety or that of others.
Final approval rests with the Content Manager. Content may take up to four weeks to be approved before being scheduled for publication. Specific dates cannot be provided.
Content creators will be contacted to confirm the status of their submission.
Content creators retain ownership of their original work.
By submitting content, content creators grant Winston’s Wish a non-exclusive, royaltyfree license (no exchange of payment) to publish and promote the content in digital and print formats.
