The follow-up letter

Send it the same day. Name the concern, not the person.

A request that lives only in people’s memories gets remembered differently by each of them. A dated email puts what you heard on paper. Pick the letter that fits, fill in the blanks, and it writes itself as you type.

These are the two letters printed in our guides on getting it in writing and on a decision made before the meeting, with the blanks turned into boxes.

This is a template you edit before you send it. Prebrief is not a lawyer, and a letter from this page is not legal advice.

Which letter fits?

Confirm what we decidedThe team said yes, no or not yet to something, and you want it on paper.

It felt decided before we spokeYou left worried the decision was made before the team heard you.

Fill in the blanks

What you type stays in this browser on this device. We never receive it, and Start over erases it.

Who you are writing to

The name that goes after Hi.

Date of the meeting

What you asked for

The specific request, in a sentence.

The team’s answer

Yes, no, or not yet.

The reason they gave

In their words if you can.

What it was based on

The assessments, records or data the team named.

What happens next, and by when

The action, who does it, and the date.

Reply by

The date you want an answer by. You can save it to your calendar.

Your child’s first name

Your name

Your letter

10 blanks still in [square brackets]. Fill them in above, or delete that line in your email.

Subject: Confirming what we decided on [date of the meeting]

Hi [name], Thank you for meeting with us on [date of the meeting]. I am writing to confirm in writing what we decided, so that we are all working from the same words. 1. We asked for: [the specific request]. 2. The team's answer was: [yes, no, or not yet]. 3. The reason given was: [the reason, in their words if you can]. 4. It was based on: [the assessments, records or data the team named]. 5. What happens next, and by when: [the action, who does it, the date]. Please reply by [reply-by date] to confirm this is accurate, or tell me what you remember differently. If any answer was a no, please send me that decision in writing, with the reason and the information it was based on. I will keep this email in [child's name]'s file. Thank you, [your name]

Open in my email app

Your reply-by date

Save it to your calendar with a reminder 3 days before. The file is made in your browser and opens in whatever calendar you use.

Pick a reply-by date in the blanks first.

Before you send it

Send it as an email, so it carries a date and a time.
Keep it short and numbered, with no apology.
If nobody replies, you still hold a dated record of what you understood, and you can bring it to the next meeting.

What the rules say, and where this letter comes from: read the guide.