What are consultations?
Consultations are used by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, and other organisations to find out what key stakeholders and the general public think about particular issues they are working on. While they are not the only way that organisations and individuals can make their views known, they are one of the most frequently used and accessible. In the case of Independent Advocacy, consultations can: help prevent legislation or policy being introduced that makes advocacy work harder; lead to additional resources being allocated to advocacy; or, promote and support the work being done by advocates.

Often consultations are structured around a series of consultation questions that you are asked to answer. Some people may want to respond to the questions only, but if you have additional comments you wish to make, or if you feel that the questions are not relevant to your response, then you can also send in more general comments.

For examples of different types of consultation responses why not look at some of the responses sent to the Scottish Government consultation on tackling alcohol misuse in 2008?
 
What difference could my consultation response make?
Generally, the more responses that are received that raise a particular concern or suggestion, the more likely it is that the result of the consultation will take account of those views. Other key factors which may influence how a consultation response is received is the use of evidence or personal accounts which help to illustrate what concerns or suggestions are being raised or suggested.

Not all the changes suggested in a consultation response will be made. In addition to the responses themselves, those doing a consultation will usually also need to consider issues around capacity, funding and accessibility, amongst others, which will also influence the outcome of the consultation.

What will the SIAA do to help me respond to a consultation?
On our webpages you will find information about upcoming consultations that the SIAA will be responding to. If you are a member of the SIAA we will also send you a copy of our own consultation response about a week before the deadline so that you can comment on it and refer to it as needed. You can use any of the information provided by the SIAA to inform your own response.

For individual enquiries please contact Erin Elvin, Policy and Parliamentary Officer, at eelvin@SIAA.org.uk or phone us on  0131 260 5380 at the SIAA office.

What happens after I’ve sent in my consultation response?
Different organisations have different ways of showing the results of their consultation. Public organisations such as the Scottish Government will ask you whether you are happy for your consultation response to be made public. If you say yes then your response will be made available on their website for the public to see. If you say no, then they will still take account of your response but it will not be made publically available or it will be published anonymously.

The Scottish Government and some other organisations will publish an analysis of the responses that they have received which highlights the key findings. This can sometimes take several months to become available depending on the size of the consultation and the number of responses received. The Scottish Government will also publish a Scottish Government response to the findings which will state what they will do next as a result of the consultation.

When these become available the SIAA will highlight them in our weekly e-bulletin.

What if I don’t like the outcome of the consultation?
Your options will vary depending on the nature of the piece of work that the consultation will inform. If it is a piece of work that will be running for a long period of time, such as a significant piece of legislation which is being considered by the Scottish Parliament, then there may be future opportunities to influence it. If it is a shorter piece of work then there may be fewer options.

If you have an issue that you have raised in a consultation response that has not been addressed and which is of particular importance to Independent Advocacy, please contact Erin Elvin, Policy and Parliamentary Officer, at eelvin@SIAA.org.uk or phone us on 0131 260 5380 at the SIAA office to see if there is anything we can do to help you take your concerns forward.