Refer yourself to Winston’s Wish
Our one-to-one and group bereavement support, and our grief counselling, can be accessed only via a referral. If you are aged 13-25 years old, you can refer yourself to Winston’s Wish by completing the self-referral form below. If you are struggling with completing the form, please ask an adult or someone you trust to help you.
If you are aged 13-15 and wish to consent for yourself, we will need to speak with you on the phone to ensure you are able to give consent.
If you are aged 12 or under, please ask a parent or trusted adult to complete a referral for you using a different form. They can find this referral form here.
If you need support now, please use one of our free on-demand services. You won’t have to wait for an appointment and you can speak with someone right away. Reach out on 08088 020 021 or use our live chat (click the blue ‘chat’ button on the bottom right of your screen) between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday. You can also email us on ask@winstonswish.org and we’ll get back to you within two working days.
A bit about us
Winston’s Wish provides short-term bereavement support services for children, young people and families affected by the death of someone important to them. We are not a mental health or crisis intervention service.
If it’s decided that we aren’t able to give you the appropriate support you need, we’ll put you in touch with a provider that can. The reasons for this can vary and we are happy to discuss this with you.
Please be aware that most of our appointments are offered within school or working hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) and that we ask for a commitment to attend appointments regularly. If you do not feel that this will be possible at present, please don’t forget that our on-demand services are available for support and advice from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
What happens next?
Once you submit your completed referral form, it will be sent to our team of bereavement specialists who will then go through what is called a ‘triage process’ which reviews all of the information you’ve provided. This is our way of making sure that young people receive the most appropriate support based on their own individual needs.
We will let you know the outcome of your referral within five working days.
Referral FAQs
If you’re aged 13 or over and meet our eligibility criteria (a list of things that help us to determine if our services are the right fit for you), you can refer yourself to Winston’s Wish using the self-referral form below.
If you’re aged between 13 and 15, one of our team will need to speak with you to make sure you are competent and able to consent to a referral without involving your parents.
If you’re aged 12 or under, please ask a parent or trusted adult (such as a teacher or doctor) to complete a referral for you.
We like to make sure that we’re providing the right support for the right people. Sadly, our services aren’t always suitable for everyone. You will be considered eligible to access Winston’s Wish services if:
- You have experienced the death of a person(s) that was important to you before the age of 25
- You require additional support to help to cope with your grief
- You have access to the internet
- You have experienced any of the following as a result of your grief:
- Feelings of anxiety
- Feelings of depression
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of anger
- Difficulty communicating with family, friends, trusted adults, teachers and/or medical professionals
- Problems concentrating
- Falling behind at school, college or work
- Changes in appetite
- Changes in personality
- Lack of energy
- Isolating and withdrawing yourself
Please note at this moment in time we cannot accept referrals if:
- You are actively being supported by a mental health service or you are presently receiving counselling, therapy or any other type of psychological support.
- You exhibit signs of uncontrolled aggressive behaviour
- You have drug and/or alcohol dependencies for which you are not receiving active treatment or support
- You need immediate crisis intervention
- You are not registered with a local UK based GP
- You are not a resident of the United Kingdom
- You are currently in a period of transition (e.g. entering short-term foster/residential care)
- You are involved with an active court case and/or police investigation
It’s important to remember that just because you are eligible to access our services it doesn’t automatically mean we can offer you that service. A member of the Winston’s Wish team will always share the reason why you might not be suitable for our services.
We are unable to accept referrals to specific services.
Instead, when you refer yourself to Winston’s Wish, a team of bereavement specialists will take a look at the information you’ve submitted and determine which service they think would be the best fit for you. A bit like when you visit your doctor, you tell them the problem and they select the best medicine.
There might also be a time where they think a service isn’t right for you. Ultimately, we always have your best interests at heart and will only put you in touch with the services we feel will give you the best and most appropriate support with your grief.
We’ll respond to your referral within five working days. There may be a wait time between submitting your referral and accessing a service. We work hard to try and keep this time as short as possible, however demand can be high.
But, you don’t have to wait for support. If you’re struggling or simply want to talk to someone whilst you wait, you can reach out using the helpline, live chat, email or text.
Yes. Grief doesn’t have a definitive ending and it can change over time. You can come back to us at any time up to the age of 25. You’ll need to complete a new referral and we’ll assess everything based on your current circumstances.
We will only provide support if you are happy for us to do so. We cannot provide services without your consent.
Right now, all of our services are digital only. This is so we can help young grieving people all across the UK. Occasionally we organise face-to-face events in various parts of the country, be sure to check the website for regular updates.
All of our services are free of charge, however we charge for some items such as books and memory boxes.
Winston’s Wish is a charity and relies on donations to help us do what we do. If you’d like to know more about fundraising, click here.
We always advise that your parent(s) or guardian(s) are aware that you’ve made a referral to Winston’s Wish. However, this isn’t essential.
If you are 16 or over, you are treated as an adult and have the ability to consent to services yourself without needing to consult anyone else.
If you are between the ages of 13 and 15, someone from Winston’s Wish will call you to asses you are able and competent to consent to receive support.
It is also important to know that as part of our safeguarding policy (a document that puts measures in place to make sure we’re doing everything possible to keep you safe) there are some circumstances in which an adult may need to be present during your sessions.
If you are aged 7 or under, it is compulsory that an adult is present with you during your support session at all times.
If you are aged between 8 and 15, we recommend an adult is present or we suggest they check you in and out of your session.
If you are aged 16 or over, you do not need an adult present, however we do recommend you make sure you aren’t home alone and have someone elsewhere in the house/school.
Confidential means keeping something private, so whatever you say won’t be shared with anyone else.
The only time we would need to share anything you have said with someone else is if you tell us that you, or someone else you know, has suffered or is at risk of any kind of abuse, harm or neglect. If you do disclose this kind of information, it is required by law that we tell the relevant authorities (such as social services or the police) and/or your parent(s)/guardian(s).
Complete our self-referral form
To help ensure you get the right support, referral forms must be completed in full. We are unable to accept referral forms which are not fully completed.
Before completing this self-referral form, please make sure you have read the FAQs above. If you have any questions or would like to talk to us first you can speak to one of our Bereavement Support Workers by phone (call 08088 020 021, open 8am-8pm, weekdays), email (ask@winstonswish.org) or live chat (open 3-8pm, weekdays).

Other things you might be interested in

Other support for young people
Information about grief, including professional advice from our team and real life stories from other grieving young people, plus our on-demand services.

Live grief talks
Our monthly online ‘Growing with Grief’ talks for 16 to 25 year olds can help you learn more about grief, how it impacts you and some coping strategies.

Join our Youth Team
Join our team of bereaved young people to raise awareness, challenge the myths about grief, share your story and help shape the future of youth bereavement services.
Connect with us
Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media for all our latest news and advice on supporting grieving children and young people.