Conciliation is one of the ways needy elderly parents can seek maintenance from their children.
Parents who are unable to support their basic needs due to old age or illnesses may approach the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents for assistance.
What help does the Commissioner provide?
The Commissioner assists by conducting conciliation sessions for parents and their children to reach an agreement on the amount of monetary contribution per month to be given to the parents.
Where the parents and children are agreeable, the Commissioner may refer them to a Family Service Centre for conflict resolution or counselling, or a Community Mediation Centre for mediation. The objective is to work out their issues and come to an agreement acceptable to both sides. The Commissioner may also refer the family to other community resources for help.
These community resources include:
- Family Service Centres (FSCs), Tel: 1800-222 0000
- Community Development Councils (CDCs) - Contact one near your home.
- Community Mediation Centres, Tel: 6325 1600
- Eagles Mediation & Counselling Centre, Tel: 6788 8220
- Centre for Enabled Living, Tel: 1800- 858 5885
Who can approach the Commissioner for help?
To seek help from the Commissioner, parents must be:
- aged 60 and above, domiciled and resident in Singapore, and unable to look after their basic maintenance needs; or
- below the age of 60 but not in good physical or mental health, or have some special reason for being unable to look after their basic needs.
What if the Commissioner or community agents cannot help parties reach an agreement?
If conciliation is not successful, parents may wish to consider filing an application at the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents against their children for maintenance.
See Also
The Commissioner, appointed under the Maintenance of Parents Act, helps parents who are unable to support themselves, secure monetary contributions from their children through conciliation. The parties may be referred for mediation and/or counselling.
The Tribunal, established under the Maintenance of Parents Act, provides a legal channel for aged parents to seek financial maintenance from their children when they are unable to support themselves adequately.
