News & Insights
The cutest consultation of all? Consulting children and adults in Wales
Back in June, the Welsh Government launched a consultation on banning third party sales of puppies and kittens, following an earlier consultation in 2019 which had highlighted certain other issues that needed consideration. The new consultation was brought forwards in two separate editions- one for adults, and one for children and young people.
There are distinct differences between the two. The adult consultation is a fifteen-page document, detailing the current legislation, the issues that need addressing, the history of the issue and the current state of play in the other nations of the UK. The children and young persons version is instead a single web page, approximately two A4 pages long giving simplified definitions and background, and four reasons for the attempt to bring in a ban.
In the adult consultation, there are nine questions, covering the basic questions, whether any ban should apply to other animals in pet shops, and what effect the proposed ban might have on biodiversity, equalities and use of the Welsh language. The children’s questions are simpler, although they do include extra context to explain in simple terminology animal welfare establishments.
Consulting young stakeholders well is often perceived as a challenge for consultors, and the Institute and our Associates have done a lot of work on the best ways to consult with children and young people. The Welsh consultations provide an interesting opportunity to look comparatively at how you can explain sometimes complicated issues in an easily understandable format whilst not patronising or underestimating the intelligence of your different audiences.