[WEBINAR] Family Conference 2020

Session 5: A Renewed Vision of Therapeutic Justice - Discussion and Reflections

Moderator

Judge Kenneth Yap – Registrar, Family Justice Courts

Panellists

Judge Yarni Loi – District Judge, Family Justice Courts

Ellen Lee Geck Hoon, JP, PBM – Consultant, Belinda Ang Tang & Partners

Audrie Siew – Director, Family Support Division, Family Development Group, Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)

Tan Li Jen – Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist and Senior Deputy Director, Clinical and Forensic Psychology Service, Rehabilitation and Protection Group, Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)

“The family justice system is one that… is intended to aid the parties (and their children) to achieve as much healing in all its variegated aspects as is possible in order that they move forward as positively as possible with their lives. This is the essence of …’Therapeutic Justice’. Put simply, it is a non-adversarial system that is “problem-solving”. It is a process which is such that ‘the entire journey should allow the healing, restoring and recasting of a positive future. It should allow parties time to grieve over the loss of the marriage and be supported through this’…

(VDZ v. VEA [2020] SGCA 75)

In light of the Court of Appeal’s comments in VDZ v. VEA [2020] SGCA that Therapeutic Justice (TJ) “…is not merely an ideal; it is a necessity” (at [75]), this session seeks to present the findings in this emerging area by various stakeholders of the family justice system. Led by the Registrar of the Family Justice Courts, Mr Kenneth Yap, the panel comprising of family judges, lawyers, counsellors and psychologists examine how family justice can focus on problem-solving and healing, and the challenges if any to be overcome.