top of page

Therapeutic Justice – A New Approach To Family Disputes In Singapore

The Family Court in Singapore is charting the way forward in family disputes by incorporating Therapeutic Justice (TJ) into the legal system to ensure that families affected can walk through the journey not as adversaries in Court and their entire journey allows healing, restoring, and recasting of a positive future. To put it plainly the family justice system will now endeavour that parties get the time to grieve over the loss of the marriage and be given the necessary support to achieve this.


What is the TJ approach 

The TJ approach will endeavour to avoid a situation of acrimony and bitterness. It is a lens of care that seeks to address the family’s interrelated legal and non-legal issues to reach an outcome that improves the whole family’s functioning beyond breakdown. Singapore’s Apex Court – the Court of Appeal – has emphasised that when a relationship breaks down, the damage cannot be repaired merely by way of material recompense (such as money and assets). Instead, the Court stated that healing needs to occur and that such healing would not even begin to occur if parties are locked in an antagonistic war against each other.

 

A TJ approach to family litigation is a problem-solving one focused on helping parties and their children heal from damaged familial relationships. The ideal outcome from adopting a TJ approach is for families to be able to move on from the divorce and adjust successfully to their new lives.

 

How is the TJ approach will be used in a divorce or child custody disputes

The Family Justice Rules which taking effect this quarter, have been redesigned to incorporate the TJ approach so that the Family Court can better help families through divorce and other family related disputes as painlessly and can readily have access to therapeutic interventions and support as early as possible. Parties will be assisted in acquiring the skills they need to manage their lives ahead, such as handling conflict and co-parenting with lawyers, judges, mediators, counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists working together to resolve the family’s issues holistically through a coordinated multi-disciplinary team effort.


How our family lawyer, Sharanjit Kaur can help you

Sharanjit Kaur is a family lawyer and mediator with local and international accreditation. She is a certified Therapeutic Justice trained family practitioner. She works closely with counsellors and other therapeutic specialists. Her experience as such has assisted many families resolve, restore and recast their family rearrangements therapeutically and achieve a workable legal outcome in family disputes like divorce, child custody, relocation and cross border family disputes.


We are an experienced team dealing with such matters and applications in Court.

Do call us or email us for a legal consultation.


Hotline: +65 8118 7860



90 views
bottom of page