Using AI to write e-mails, complaints and in SEND tribunal appeals

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini are becoming increasingly popular. Many parents and carers use them to help draft complaint letters, organise evidence, understand complex documents or prepare for meetings and tribunals.

AI can help you write your complaint or appeal, but only you can take responsibility for ensuring that it is accurate.

Used well, AI can be a valuable tool. It can help turn notes into structured letters, summarise lengthy reports, identify gaps in evidence and suggest questions to ask. For families who are tired, stressed or overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork involved in navigating the SEND system, AI can save time and help them feel more confident getting started.

However, AI should be used with caution.

AI does not understand your child's circumstances, cannot verify evidence and is not a substitute for legal advice. Whilst AI-generated content can sound convincing and professional, it can sometimes be inaccurate, misleading or completely wrong. For example, AI may:

Quote case law from another country that is not relevant to UK SEND law.
Refer to legal cases that do not apply to the issues being considered.
Misinterpret legislation or guidance.
Provide outdated information.
Present opinions as though they are established facts.

The Information, Advice and Support Services Network (IASSN) advises that AI-generated content should not be relied upon as a source of SEND legal advice and highlights concerns raised by the High Court about the use of AI-generated legal information. AI can produce responses that appear coherent and authoritative but may contain significant errors.

The most effective complaints and tribunal submissions are not necessarily the longest or the most technical. They are usually the ones that clearly explain:

What happened.
When it happened.
Who was involved.
What evidence supports the concerns raised.
What outcome is being sought.

This guide is not intended to discourage people from using AI. Instead, it aims to help parents, carers, children and young people use AI safely and effectively. AI can be an excellent drafting assistant, but it should not replace careful fact-checking, independent research or professional advice where needed.

Think of AI as a drafting assistant, not a legal adviser.

AI can be useful for:

Creating a timeline of events
Summarising long documents
Turning notes into a structured complaint letter
Suggesting questions to ask
Helping identify missing information
Explaining technical language in plain English

AI should not be trusted to:

Provide legal advice
Find relevant case law
Interpret legislation without verification
State facts about your child or situation that you have not checked
Decide what evidence is strongest

Think of AI as a drafting assistant, not a legal adviser.

AI can be useful for:

Creating a timeline of events
Summarising long documents
Turning notes into a structured complaint letter
Suggesting questions to ask
Helping identify missing information
Explaining technical language in plain English

AI should not be trusted to:

Provide legal advice
Find relevant case law
Interpret legislation without verification
State facts about your child or situation that you have not checked
Decide what evidence is strongest

One of the most valuable uses of AI may be helping people communicate their experiences and concerns more clearly.

Many parents and carers of children with SEND also have additional needs themselves. Some may be autistic, have ADHD, dyslexia, learning difficulties, mental health challenges or English as an additional language. Others may simply be exhausted from the demands of caring for a child with complex needs.

As a result, families may find it difficult to organise their thoughts, explain situations clearly or write formal correspondence. This can sometimes become a barrier to resolving problems.

AI can help by:

Organising information into a clear timeline.
Turning notes into a structured letter.
Summarising key concerns.
Identifying information that may be missing.
Rewriting text in a more concise and professional way.
Explaining complex information in plain English.

Importantly, AI can help people communicate what they already know. It should not replace their own experiences, views or decision-making.

One of the most valuable uses of AI may be helping people communicate their experiences and concerns more clearly.

As a result, families may find it difficult to organise their thoughts, explain situations clearly or write formal correspondence. This can sometimes become a barrier to resolving problems.

AI can help by:

Organising information into a clear timeline.
Turning notes into a structured letter.
Summarising key concerns.
Identifying information that may be missing.
Rewriting text in a more concise and professional way.
Explaining complex information in plain English.

Importantly, AI can help people communicate what they already know. It should not replace their own experiences, views or decision-making.

Not every disagreement needs to become a formal complaint or tribunal appeal.

Many disputes arise because important information has not been communicated effectively between families and professionals.

In some cases, once the underlying concern is explained clearly, a solution can be identified quickly.

Clear communication helps everyone understand each other's perspective and can often resolve issues before they develop into formal disputes.

The purpose of a communication is to be understood.

For many families, AI may be most useful not as a legal adviser, but as a communication and accessibility tool that helps their voice be heard.

Not every disagreement needs to become a formal complaint or tribunal appeal.

Many disputes arise because important information has not been communicated effectively between families and professionals.

In some cases, once the underlying concern is explained clearly, a solution can be identified quickly.

Clear communication helps everyone understand each other's perspective and can often resolve issues before they develop into formal disputes.

The purpose of a communication is to be understood.

For many families, AI may be most useful not as a legal adviser, but as a communication and accessibility tool that helps their voice be heard.

The best letter of complaint is not the one with the most legal language. It's the one that enables the reader to quickly understand what happened and what needs to change.

An AI generated letter of complaint might be lengthy and contain:

Legal terminology
References to legislation
Repeated arguments
Emotional language
No clear chronology

But a good complaint usually answers just five questions:

What happened?
When did it happen?
Who was involved?
What have you done already to try to resolve it?
What outcome are you looking for?

A complaints officer can understand and investigate a complaint with those details that almost immediately as it is clear and concise with all the relevant details. An AI generated complaint may need the complaints officer to look up the law sighted, contact you for more information and spend time piecing together what has happened which may mean they need longer to reply to your complaint.

The best letter of complaint is not the one with the most legal language. It's the one that enables the reader to quickly understand what happened and what needs to change.

An AI generated letter of complaint might be lengthy and contain:

Legal terminology
References to legislation
Repeated arguments
Emotional language
No clear chronology

But a good complaint usually answers just five questions:

What happened?
When did it happen?
Who was involved?
What have you done already to try to resolve it?
What outcome are you looking for?

Many parents worry that a tribunal will feel like a criminal courtroom, but SEND Tribunals are usually much less formal than people expect. Parents and carers are not expected to be lawyers or legal experts. The most important part of a parent’s role at tribunal is helping the panel understand their child, their needs and the evidence supporting their case.

The SEND Tribunal has been designed to find the right outcome for your child or young person and is designed to be accessible to families without legal representation.

The judge will explain the process, make sure everyone has an opportunity to be heard and focus the discussion on the evidence that is relevant to the decision. The panel will have read the evidence in advance, will ask questions about the issues in dispute, and will make an independent decision based on the evidence before it.

AI is a helpful tool to:

Summarise reports into plain English.
Explain professional jargon.
Identify areas where professionals agree and disagree.
Create timelines of events.
Extract recommendations from reports.
Compare different pieces of evidence.

Using AI in this way can help you get the best from it, rather than using it to give legal advice.

Remember:

SEND appeals are often not won because somebody finds an obscure legal precedent. They are won because:

the evidence is strong;
the child's needs are clearly evidenced;
there is a direct link between needs, provision and outcomes;
professionals' reports support the argument.

The SEND Tribunal has been designed to find the right outcome for your child or young person and is designed to be accessible to families without legal representation.

AI is a helpful tool to:

Summarise reports into plain English.
Explain professional jargon.
Identify areas where professionals agree and disagree.
Create timelines of events.
Extract recommendations from reports.
Compare different pieces of evidence.

Using AI in this way can help you get the best from it, rather than using it to give legal advice.

Remember:

SEND appeals are often not won because somebody finds an obscure legal precedent. They are won because:

the evidence is strong;
the child's needs are clearly evidenced;
there is a direct link between needs, provision and outcomes;
professionals' reports support the argument.

Before sending an AI-generated complaint or statement for an appeal;

Have I checked every factual statement?

Have I checked every date?

Have I read every legal reference?

Have I removed anything I do not understand?

Have I checked that any case law is real and relevant?

Is it clear what outcome I want?

Could somebody unfamiliar with my situation understand what happened?

Have I reduced repetition?

Does the document sound like me?