---
title: "Independent Viability and Connected Carer Assessments"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f245"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f245"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f245.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f245.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Cheshire East Borough Council"
published: "2026-09-04"
---

# Independent Viability and Connected Carer Assessments

Buyer: Cheshire East Borough Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f245

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## Summary

Cheshire East Council commissioned independent social work services for children and families identified through Operation Decker. The requirement covers viability assessments and, where needed, full Connected Carer Assessments. These assessments are intended to provide timely, standardised evidence for care planning and court decision-making. The work falls within social work services and is delivered in Cheshire East, supporting the council’s children and families functions. The appointed provider is ONYX COLLABORATIVE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES LTD, a Stafford-based small and medium-sized enterprise specialising in collaborative social work services. The requirement is focused on independent assessment work rather than general social care delivery, so it is most relevant to providers with suitably experienced social workers able to undertake formal viability and connected-carer assessments for children and families.

The procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Cheshire East Council used a below-threshold direct award without competition under the light-touch regime. One lot was awarded to ONYX COLLABORATIVE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES LTD. The contract was signed on 20 July 2026 and runs from 20 July 2026 to 5 November 2026. Its value is £57,450 excluding VAT and £68,940 including VAT. The requirement was evaluated through the direct-award route rather than a competitive tender, and the published outcome identifies the supplier and active contract. The award covers the full requirement for independent viability and Connected Carer Assessments, with the contract period defining the delivery window for the commissioned assessment services.

This outcome indicates demand for specialist independent social work assessments within Cheshire East’s children and families services. A credible future competitor would need social workers able to assess family viability and connected-carer arrangements, produce consistent written assessments, and work to timescales that support care planning and court decision-making. Independence, sound professional judgement and the ability to apply a standardised assessment approach would be central to meeting the requirement. Providers should also be able to handle both initial viability work and more detailed full Connected Carer Assessments where required, while coordinating effectively with the council and other professionals involved in Operation Decker cases. The appointed supplier’s SME status shows that this scale of specialist service can be delivered by a focused independent practice rather than only a large national organisation.

## Notice

Provision of independent social workers to undertake viability assessments and, where required, Full Connected Carer Assessments for children and families identified through Operation Decker. The work will provide timely and standardised assessments to inform care planning and court decision-making.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083903-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 4 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 20 Jul 2026 - 5 Nov 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £57,450 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Cheshire East Borough Council |
| Locality | CREWE |
| Postcode area | Crewe |
| Postcode | CW1 2JZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD62 Cheshire East |
| Local authority | Cheshire East |
| Electoral ward | Crewe Central |
| Westminster constituency | Crewe and Nantwich |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ONYX COLLABORATIVE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES LTD |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85310000 - Social work services

## Release History

- 4 Sep 2026 at 13:33 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083903-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083903-2026
  4th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.onyxcsw.co.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f245. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f245.json.