More powers for judges to safeguard children's welfare

Amendments to Family Justice Act will come into force on Oct 15

- Theresa Tan

From Oct 15, judges at the Family Justice Courts (FJC) will get more powers to bar unmeritorious applications that may harm a child's welfare or unnecessarily delay divorce proceedings when amendments to the Family Justice Act 2014 kick in.

In a statement on Sept 16, the FJC said the amendments to the Act that will come into force on Oct 15 include those that:

•Prevent a person from filing an application that would affect the fairness of the process, delay proceedings or increase legal costs, or have a negative impact on the child's welfare.

Bar a person from filing an application to change an existing court order if it is without merit, or would negatively impact the child's welfare.

Give the court power to make substantive orders even when the parties involved did not file an application, after ensuring that all affected parties have been given a chance to be heard by the court. These substantive orders could relate to access, custody and maintenance, said lawyers interviewed.