Fictra Safeguarding Policy

Adopted: 16 June 2026 Review date: 16 June 2027

Fictra Ltd is committed to the welfare of the writers, contributors and audiences we work with. This policy sets out our approach to safeguarding across our publishing and programme activity. It applies to all Fictra activity, including commissioned writing, cohort programmes, published outputs, and live events.

1. Who this policy covers

This policy covers:

• Writers commissioned, contracted or otherwise working with Fictra
• Contributors including freelance editors, narrators, sound designers, designers and other specialists
• Audiences and readers engaging with Fictra's published outputs and live events
• Applicants to open calls and development programmes

2. Welfare concerns: how to raise them

Anyone working with Fictra, or applying to do so, who has a welfare concern relating to their participation can contact the director directly by email at hello@fictra.co.uk.

Concerns may include but are not limited to: editorial disputes, treatment by other contributors, payment issues, concerns about workload or pace, or wellbeing concerns arising from the work itself.

Fictra commits to acknowledging any welfare concern within 48 hours of receipt, and to working with the person who has raised it to identify an appropriate response.

3. Escalation route

If a welfare concern relates to the director, or if the person raising the concern is not satisfied with the director's response, the concern can be escalated to an independent third party. Fictra is in the process of confirming a named independent escalation contact, and will have this in place before any funded programme begins. Until a standing contact is confirmed, escalation concerns are routed to a relevant professional contact identified through Fictra's networks — for example, our accountants (RK & Co), a sector body, or a funder representative — at the discretion of the person raising the concern.

The escalation route is communicated to writers and contributors at the point of contracting.

4. Editorial complaints

Where a concern relates specifically to an editorial decision (commissioning, editing, publication, content guidance), Fictra commits to:

• Providing a clear written explanation of any editorial decision on request
• Engaging in good-faith conversation about disagreements
• Distinguishing between editorial decisions (final) and welfare concerns (open to further escalation)

5. Content guidance for published work

Fictra publishes serial fiction in dark and technology-inflected genres, including work that engages with themes such as violence, surveillance, abuse, and other challenging subject matter.

All published work carries:

• A minimum age guidance of 16+
• Story-level content advisories flagging specific themes (e.g. violence, sexual content, suicide and self-harm, substance abuse) where present
• An editorial introduction or framing where appropriate

Audio versions carry equivalent advisories at the start of each episode.

6. Audience and event safety

Where Fictra runs live events:

• Venues are chosen with attention to physical accessibility (step-free access, accessible facilities, hearing loop provision where available)
• Audience members can raise concerns before, during or after an event by emailing hello@fictra.co.uk
• Sensitive content presented at events is flagged in event listings and in spoken introductions

7. Data and privacy

Fictra handles personal data — including applicant submissions, writer contact details, contractual information and audience data — in accordance with UK GDPR. This includes:

• Storing personal data securely
• Using personal data only for the purposes for which it was provided
• Retaining data only for as long as needed
• Responding to data subject access requests in line with regulatory requirements

Our full privacy notice is available on the Fictra website.

8. Children and young people

Fictra's work is currently directed at adult and older teenage readers (16+). Fictra does not operate programmes specifically for under-18s. Where any future activity involves under-18s, an enhanced child protection policy will be put in place before such activity begins.

9. Review

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as Fictra's activity develops. Concerns or suggestions about the policy itself can be sent to hello@fictra.co.uk.

Fictra Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Adopted: 16 June 2026 Review date: 16 June 2027

Fictra Ltd is committed to publishing serial fiction that reflects the breadth of writers and readers in contemporary Scotland and beyond. This policy sets out how we approach equalities, diversity and inclusion across our publishing, commissioning, programme and event activity.

1. Our commitment

We recognise that publishing — including serial fiction publishing — has not historically reflected the full range of voices in the cultures it serves. Some groups have been less well represented as writers, less well served as readers, and less involved in editorial decision-making. We do not accept this as the natural state of the field, and we believe small independent publishers have a particular responsibility to work against it.

This policy applies to:

• Writers commissioned, contracted or otherwise working with Fictra
• Contributors including freelance editors, narrators, sound designers and designers
• Applicants to open calls and development programmes
• Audiences and readers engaging with Fictra's published work

2. Recruitment and commissioning

Fictra runs open calls for all funded development programmes and for selected commissioning opportunities. We approach recruitment as follows:

• Active outreach to communities currently underrepresented in serial fiction publishing, including writers of colour, working-class writers, Deaf and disabled writers, LGBTQ+ writers, and writers based outside Scotland's Central Belt.
• Plain-language briefs, with clear application processes, realistic timelines, and multiple submission formats accepted where practical.
• Anonymous first-stage review of submitted writing samples on all open calls, with identifying information removed before reading.
• Selection at the cohort or commission stage with awareness of how the selected group reflects the breadth of the applicant pool.

3. Pay and contracting

Fictra pays writers and contributors fairly. Fees for equivalent work are set at the same level regardless of the writer's background, identity, level of recognition, or career stage. Commissioning fees are benchmarked against Society of Authors guidance and against comparable funded programmes.

4. Accessibility

• Online activity:Fictra's editorial and cohort activity is designed to be accessible to writers from across Scotland, with hybrid delivery removing geography as a barrier to participation.
• In-person events: Where Fictra runs live events, venues are chosen with accessibility checked in advance — step-free access, accessible toilets, and hearing loop provision where available.
• Digital materials: Editorial materials are produced in formats compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• Travel and accommodation: For funded programmes that include in-person sessions, travel and accommodation costs are covered for writers participating from outside the host city.

5. Fair Work

Fictra commits to applying the principles of Fair Work — Fair Opportunity, Security of Income, Fulfilment, Respect at Work, and Effective Voice — across our engagement with writers, freelance contributors and all those who work with us.

Fair opportunity.Recruitment is conducted through open calls with active outreach to underrepresented groups, and first-stage review of submissions is anonymous (see section 2 above). When engaging freelancers in other roles, we look beyond the director's immediate network and consider more than one potential collaborator where the role allows.

Security of income. Fees for equivalent work are equivalent regardless of background (see section 3 above), and benchmarked against Society of Authors and other relevant industry guidance. All freelancers are paid at or above the real Living Wage equivalent (calculated as effective hourly rate against the work commissioned). Payment terms are 30 days from invoice as standard, with faster payment offered for smaller fees. We treat prompt payment as a core Fair Work commitment because late payment disproportionately affects freelancers without financial buffers.

Fulfilment. Fictra treats writers and contributors as professional creatives with editorial agency over their work, not as transactional service providers. Where Fictra runs development programmes (such as the Fictra Cohort), we structure them to deliver meaningful professional development alongside paid work — sustained editorial relationships, peer support, audio production, and published outcomes.

Respect at work. All collaborators receive clear written contracts before work begins, setting out scope, fee, timeline, rights and payment terms. Briefings are clear, deadlines are realistic, and feedback is delivered in writing where possible. The safeguarding policy applies to freelance collaborators equally with commissioned writers.

Effective voice.Concerns about treatment, working conditions, or any aspect of engagement with Fictra can be raised with the director, with the escalation routes set out in section 6 below and in the safeguarding policy. Where relevant, we will support freelancers' rights to collective representation and to engage with sector bodies on Fair Work matters.

Fictra commits to applying the Scottish Government's Fair Work First criteria across our activity, including any work funded by Creative Scotland.

6. Editorial independence and content

Fictra publishes serial fiction in dark and technology-inflected genres. We support writers in telling stories that engage honestly with difficult subjects, including those touching on race, class, gender, sexuality, disability and other dimensions of identity and inequality. We commission editorially — by the quality of the writing and its fit with our editorial direction — and not on the basis of who writers are or aren't. Writers retain creative control of their work.

7. Concerns and complaints

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly by Fictra in any aspect of our activity — including recruitment, selection, commissioning, editing, or event participation — can raise the concern with the director at hello@fictra.co.uk.

Fictra commits to acknowledging any EDI concern within 48 hours of receipt and to working with the person who has raised it to identify an appropriate response. Where a concern relates to the director, or where the person raising the concern is not satisfied with the director's response, the matter can be escalated to Fictra's independent escalation contact (see Safeguarding Policy, section 3).

8. Monitoring and review

For all funded programmes, Fictra invites applicants to share anonymous demographic data through a separate monitoring form. The data is analysed against the demographic profile of selected cohorts and is reported on as part of programme evaluation.

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as Fictra's activity develops. Concerns or suggestions about the policy itself can be sent to hello@fictra.co.uk.

9. What this policy is not

This policy is a statement of how Fictra operates, not a guarantee of outcomes we cannot promise. The full range of writers we publish over time depends on who applies, who is commissioned, and who can be paid. We aim to expand our editorial reach steadily, and we report honestly on where we succeed and where we fall short.