Women’s Charter 1961 - Singapore Statutes Online

Parenting programme

94A.—(1) Every prescribed party must complete a parenting programme within the time prescribed by rules made under section 180.

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(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), different times may be prescribed for different prescribed parties.

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(3) No writ for divorce, and no counterclaim in proceedings for divorce, is to be filed in the court by a prescribed party, unless the prescribed party —

(a)	has completed a parenting programme;
(b)	is an excluded party; or
(c)	is allowed by the court under subsection (4) to do so. [7/2016]

(4) Despite subsection (3)(a) and (b), even though a prescribed party has not completed a parenting programme and is not an excluded party, a court may —

(a)	upon the application of the prescribed party, and on such terms as the court thinks fit, allow the prescribed party to file in the court a writ for divorce; and
(b)	upon the application of the prescribed party or on the court’s own motion, and on such terms as the court thinks fit, allow the prescribed party to file in the court a counterclaim in proceedings for divorce. [7/2016]

(5) A court hearing any proceedings for divorce may, if the court considers that doing so is in the interests of the parties to the marriage and any child of the marriage, at any stage in those proceedings order either or both of the parties to the marriage to complete a parenting programme.

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(6) Where any party who is required or ordered under this section to complete a parenting programme fails to do so, the court may make such orders as the court thinks fit.

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(7) Without limiting subsection (6), the orders which the court may make under that subsection include the following orders:

(a)	a stay of the proceedings for divorce until the defaulting party in that subsection completes the parenting programme;
(b)	such order as to costs as the court thinks appropriate against the defaulting party in that subsection. [7/2016]

(8) Anything said, any document prepared, and any information provided, by any person for the purposes of or in the course of participating in a parenting programme is not to be admitted in evidence in any court.

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(9) The Minister may —

(a)	determine the form, contents and duration of a parenting programme; and
(b)	appoint any person to conduct a parenting programme. [7/2016]

(10) Each person appointed under subsection (9)(b) to conduct a parenting programme is to determine whether any person who attends that programme has completed that programme.

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(11) Any person who is dissatisfied with a determination under subsection (10) may appeal to the Minister, whose decision is final.

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(12) The Minister may designate the following persons to consider and determine, in his or her place, any appeal under subsection (11):

(a)	any Minister of State or Senior Minister of State, for his or her Ministry;
(b)	any Parliamentary Secretary or Senior Parliamentary Secretary, for his or her Ministry,

and any reference in that subsection to the Minister includes a reference to the Minister of State or Senior Minister of State, or the Parliamentary Secretary or Senior Parliamentary Secretary, so designated for that appeal.

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(13) No liability shall lie personally against any person appointed under subsection (9)(b) to conduct a parenting programme who, acting in good faith and with reasonable care, does or omits to do anything for the purposes of that parenting programme.

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(14) In this section —

“excluded party” means a prescribed party who is exempted, by rules made under section 180, from subsection (1);

“parenting programme” means a programme —

(a)	which provides information on matters relating to marriage, divorce and how divorce may affect a child of a marriage; and
(b)	the form, contents and duration of which are determined by the Minister under subsection (9)(a);

“prescribed party” means a party to a marriage who is prescribed, by rules made under section 180, for the purposes of this section.

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