Home

ANNOUNCEMENT

With the exit of the circuit breaker, unless otherwise directed by the Court, all Court hearings in the Family Justice Courts scheduled from 2 June 2020 onwards will be conducted by way of remote hearing through video conferencing or telephone conferencing where appropriate. Mediation and counselling sessions will likewise proceed by remote means in appropriate cases.

Health and safety protocols will continue to be in force to minimise the risk of the transmission of COVID-19.

Please click here for the latest message from the Chief Justice and here for the Registrar’s Circular No. 4 of 2020.

Chief Justice's message on the Singapore Judiciary's response to the exit of the "Circuit Breaker" period

In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the Circuit Breaker measures put in place by the Government to counteract this health crisis, parents are reminded to discharge their responsibilities by cooperating with each other, and act sensibly and safely in all arrangements made for their child(ren). Turning to the Court should be the last resort. Parents should communicate with each other, or through their lawyers (if any), regarding existing orders relating to access. They should work together to find practical and suitable solutions to access issues, and any other child-related issues that arise, bearing in mind the best interests of their child(ren) and the need to comply with the measures put in place by the Government.

Kenneth Yap
Registrar, Family Justice Courts
7 April 2020

Child(ren) access arrangements

With the revision to the COVID-19 (temporary measures) Act 2020 on the restrictions on the movement of people, parents are allowed to transfer temporary custody or care of a child pursuant to any agreement regarding the access rights of a parent of the child, or in discharge of a legal obligation. Please refer to the regulation here.

For Court-ordered Supervised Exchange and Supervised Visits, affected parents can contact the Ministry of Social and Family Development by email: dssaprogrammes@msf.gov.sg or phone: 6324 0024 as Divorce Support Specialist Agencies have suspended their services during this period.

From 2 June 2020,

Maintenance (MSS) & Family Violence (SS) cases dealt with by Family Court 1 will continue to be conducted by way of Video-Conferencing, unless otherwise notified by the Court;
Parties are not required to attend Family Court 1 for all Counselling (CGO) Reviews for SS cases;
Commissioner for Oaths will be closed, except for those who have fixed an appointment; and
Case specific enquiries and collection of documents will be provided remotely/offsite.

Please refer to the Announcements and Updates for more details.