[WEBINAR] Family Conference 2020

Session 3: Expanding the Definition of the “Guardian” of a Child

Moderator

Poonam Mirchandani – Partner, Mirchandani & Partners

Panellists

Nigel Nicholls – Principal, Blanchfield Nicholls, New South Wales

Koh Tien Hua – Partner and Co-Head of Family and Matrimonial Law and Private Client Advisory Practice Groups, Harry Elias Partnership LLP

Ros Bever – Partner and National Head of Divorce & Family Law Team, Irwin Mitchell LLP, Manchester

“It may also be apt for Singapore to make specific provision for non-parents with some connection to a child to make applications for custody, care and control and access in appropriate cases. One such group of adults could be the child’s grandparents for instance.”

(UMF v. UMG and another [2019] 3 SLR 640 at [70])

In a rapidly evolving society, the concept of a family unit is undergoing changes and the children of today may find themselves cared for in arrangements other than the traditional two-parent model. It is sometimes the case that the persons who best love and care for a child are persons other than its biological or legal parents. Grandparents, step-parents, and others play an increasingly important role in today’s society. This session examines the guardianship laws of Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom and the position of a non-parent ‘Guardian’ within the existing statutory and legal framework of each of these jurisdictions.