When there is a child custody dispute, the courts may ask the Ministry to conduct an investigation and produce a “Social Report” before deciding on custody matters.
Child custody proceedings are handled by the Family Justice Courts. Custody is the right to make major decisions on the welfare and upbringing of the children. Custody can be shared.
When there is a custody dispute, the courts may refer the case to MSF for social investigation. A Child Welfare Officer from the Ministry will conduct the investigation and produce a Social Report for the court.
Generally, the court will refer the case to MSF for social investigation when:
- parents cannot agree on who should get custody
- one parent is concerned about the other parent having access to the child
- the Court has concerns about the custody of the child
For More on Custody Proceedings:
The Family Justice Courts (FJC) are established pursuant to the Family Justice Act which was passed by Parliament on 4 August 2014. The Family Justice Act was enacted based on the recommendations of the Committee for Family Justice which was formed in 2013 to review how Singapore’s family justice system may be reformed to address the needs of youth and families in distress.
