Tender

ITT for Cafcass new service called Enabling Family Time reference CAF592-25

CAFCASS

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

09 Jan 2026 at 11:36

Planning

05 Nov 2025 at 13:42

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for Cafcass's new service, "Enabling Family Time," is currently in the tender stage. This initiative is aimed at providing health and social work services across England, specifically focusing on supporting families in private law family court proceedings. With the commissioning led by Cafcass on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, this contract replaces the current Improving Child and Family Arrangements (ICFA) service. Interested suppliers are required to hold NACCC Enhanced accreditation and Cyber Essentials certification. The procurement, following an open procedure, currently seeks bids before the deadline on 2nd February 2026, with service delivery to begin on 1st May 2026. The contract, potentially renewable, is set to run until 30th April 2029, covering regions inclusive of the UKC, UKD, UKE, UKF, UKG, UKH, UKI, UKJ, and UKK. The initial award period begins immediately post-tender on 2nd February 2026.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specializing in family support services, particularly those adept in family counselling and child welfare. Given the requirement for NACCC Enhanced accreditation and Cyber Essentials certification, organisations with these credentials are well-positioned to succeed. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) entities could benefit by leveraging their specialized knowledge and agility to provide tailored family support interventions. The open framework allows for the addition of further providers in subsequent openings, increasing the capacity for diverse providers to contribute to the overarching goal of improving family time dynamics in the UK through this robust service framework. The service's alignment with the Pathfinder project offers participating businesses a chance to be involved in pioneering a structured approach to enhancing child and family arrangements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

ITT for Cafcass new service called Enabling Family Time reference CAF592-25

Notice Description

Cafcass is seeking suppliers that are interested in delivering a service for families in Private Law family court proceedings. Cafcass requires suppliers to hold NACCC Enhanced accreditation and Cyber Essentials certification to be able to deliver this service. Cafcass commissions the delivery of services for families in private family law proceedings in England on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). One of these services, the Improving Child and Family Arrangements (ICFA) service, is coming to an end in 2026 and being replaced with a new service which is called Enabling Family Time. For every child in private law family court proceedings, whose current and future living arrangements are decided by the family courts, a Cafcass Family Court Adviser (FCA) or Guardian advises the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. The FCA/Guardian focuses on the children's needs, wishes and feelings, making sure that children's voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court's thinking and decision making. FCAs/Guardians may refer to the Enabling Family Time service, following their suitability assessment. Enabling Family Time has been designed to focus on establishing/re-establishing family time between children and their parents/carers by offering up to three (3) family time sessions, following an FCA's suitability assessment. The service is aligned to the Pathfinder project and will be guided by the Cafcass Child Impact Assessment Framework (CIAF) and the needs of children and families. We would like to invite all interested providers to bid for this ITT. If you do have an account with Pro Contract, please register on Pro Contract system to create an account. If you have problems registering, please contact. Tel: +44 (0)1937 545 070 Email: info@proactis.com If you have any other questions or queries, please ensure these are submitted via Pro Contract.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Cafcass is seeking suppliers that are interested in delivering a service for families in Private Law family court proceedings. Cafcass requires suppliers to hold NACCC Enhanced accreditation and Cyber Essentials certification to be able to deliver this service. Cafcass commissions the delivery of services for families in private family law proceedings in England on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). One of these services, the Improving Child and Family Arrangements (ICFA) service, is coming to an end in 2026 and being replaced with a new service which is called Enabling Family Time. For every child in private law family court proceedings, whose current and future living arrangements are decided by the family courts, a Cafcass Family Court Adviser (FCA) or Guardian advises the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. The FCA/Guardian focuses on the children's needs, wishes and feelings, making sure that children's voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court's thinking and decision making. FCAs/Guardians may refer to the Enabling Family Time service, following their suitability assessment. Enabling Family Time has been designed to focus on establishing/re-establishing family time between children and their parents/carers by offering up to three (3) family time sessions, following an FCA's suitability assessment. The service is aligned to the Pathfinder project and will be guided by the Cafcass Child Impact Assessment Framework (CIAF) and the needs of children and families. We would like to invite all interested providers to bid for this ITT. If you do have an account with Pro Contract, please register on Pro Contract system to create an account. If you have problems registering, please contact. Tel: +44 (0)1937 545 070 Email: info@proactis.com If you have any other questions or queries, please ensure these are submitted via Pro Contract.

Renewal: 2 x 12-month extensions may be available after the core contract period has ended.

Planning Information

Engagement process description Cafcass would like potential partners to express their interest in premarket engagement before 1pm on 17 November 2025 by sending a confirmation message via our e-sourcing platform (Pro Contract) Opportunities Please include the following detail in your message: - • Company/organisation name. • Quoting Reference - Premarket engagement Cafcass reference CAF592-25 • Full name full name of attendee’s (maximum of 3 per organisation) • Contact details (E-mails and phone numbers). If you do have an account with Pro Contract, please register on Pro Contract system to create an account. If you have problems registering, please contact; Tel: +44 (0)1937 545 070 Email: info@proactis.com Premarket engagement session Date: Thursday 20 November 13:00-14:30 on Teams Upon receipt of your email expressing interest in attending the pre-market event a team link will be sent to all attendees via the Pro Contract system

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05dafa
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001772-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Jan 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
2 Feb 20262 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
8 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Apr 2026 - 30 Apr 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
1st Open Framework Further Mini Comp Commencing Monday 2 November 2026 2nd Open Framework Further Mini Comp Commencing Monday 1 November 2027 3rd Open Framework Further Mini Comp Commencing Monday 6 November 2028 4th Open Framework Further Mini Comp Commencing Monday 5 November 2029 It is anticipated that this open framework will be reopened on the dates shown above.

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CAFCASS
Contact Name
Jane Bate, Procurement
Contact Email
procurement@cafcass.gov.uk
Contact Phone
+443004564000

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
WC1X 8NH
Post Town
Central London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF11 Derby
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)

Local Authority
Derby
Electoral Ward
Darley
Westminster Constituency
Derby North

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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