EHCP Delay Complaint Letter Generator

For parents in England whose local authority has missed the 20-week statutory deadline to issue a final Education, Health and Care Plan.

When this letter applies

The request for an EHC needs assessment was made more than 20 weeks ago and the local authority has still not issued a final EHCP. It is not a request for assessment and not an appeal about the contents of a plan.

Legislation cited

• Children and Families Act 2014 (20-week duty to issue a final EHCP)
• Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014

What the letter contains

• The specific statutory duty that has been breached
• A dated timeline of the case, built from the parent's own circumstances
• A defined window for the authority to issue the final plan
• The escalation route if it does not: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) where a plan is appealable

What usually happens after you send it

Many authorities respond within days because a written statutory challenge creates a paper trail usable at tribunal or by the Ombudsman. Where the council still does not act, the letter becomes the evidence that the authority was given a fair chance to put things right.