Family Justice Courts to move to iconic octagonal building in Havelock by November

The Family Justice Courts (FJC) will be moving its operations to new premises – the former State Courts’ building in Havelock Square – by the end of November.

The iconic octagonal building, which was gazetted as a conserved building in 2013, heard its last case in 2019, and was refurbished thereafter in preparation for the FJC to take over.

It is more than three times the size of the premises currently occupied by the FJC, a building at 3 Havelock Square and a unit at the MND Complex in Maxwell Road.

The FJC said on Oct 21 that the move will allow it to meet its caseload.

With the move, the number of courtrooms will increase from 12 to 25 and the number of hearing rooms from 23 to 52.

On Oct 21, the FJC, which comprises the Family Division of the High Court, the Family Courts and the Youth Courts, celebrated its 10th anniversary at its new premises.

At the event, it also launched its model for therapeutic justice, which involves a process led by a judge in which parties and their lawyers, along with other professionals, work together to find timely and enduring solutions to family disputes within the framework of the law.

An FJC spokesperson told The Straits Times that the increase in space at the new premises will allow the courts to provide specialised facilities that address the needs of their users.

They include child-friendly interview rooms, quiet rooms for distressed individuals, and vulnerable witness rooms to allow for remote testimony in hearings.

Said the spokesperson: “These features will enable FJC to better support therapeutic justice and provide more accessible services to our court users, in line with the whole-of-judiciary direction to improve access to justice for all.”

Refurbishments to the octagonal building, built in 1975, were expected to be completed in December 2022 but were delayed by disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the event on Oct 21, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the building has been refurbished and refreshed to ensure that it reflects the distinct identity and ethos of the FJC.

On the therapeutic justice model, he said under it, the family justice system must strive to be holistic, with legal issues and as far as possible their underlying non-legal causes being addressed.

He said it must also be restorative, in that the law should heal the parties’ relationship and repair it at least to a minimally functioning state.

“It must (also) be forward-looking, in that we should build hope and encourage the parties to create a mutually acceptable future together by focusing on their shared interests,” he added.

The FJC adopted therapeutic justice as a guiding principle in 2020.

Under the model, for instance, a couple undergoing an acrimonious divorce can have their case managed by a team comprising a counsellor, a mediation judge and a hearing judge, who will see it through to its conclusion.

A total of 6,314 marriages ended in divorce in 2023, according to official data. This is the highest annual number since 2019.

About 66 per cent of the cases were filed on a simplified track, in which both parties agree on all issues related to the divorce and ancillary matters, such as child custody and maintenance.

When there are disagreements, couples go through an assessment that can flag cases with parental disagreements or allegations of family violence.

Some couples may need to go for a cooperative conference conducted by a judge-mediator to identify the key issues and explain to the parties the conduct expected of them.

A court counsellor will be present if children under 14 are involved.

These discussions enable steps to be taken early in the court process to address potential complications involving care of the children or family violence.

The spokesperson said the conference offers a space for the parties to understand and reflect how their choices and decisions may affect their future, adding: “It is to encourage each party to move away from a cycle of blame and hurt to one of recovery and hope, to focus on finding the best outcome for their family.”

Ms Engelin Teh, managing director of her eponymous firm, told ST that with the therapeutic justice model, lawyers are able to view family litigation in a different light from commercial litigation.

However, she said it may be more challenging to get the parties in the divorce on board, as they are often focused on fighting for what they want.

“Sometimes it’s money, but more often, it relates to the children. They are not able to see that the interest of the children is not about what they want, but what is good for the children,” Ms Teh added.

She recalled an incident some years back, where a divorced woman was supposed to transfer her four-year-old daughter to her father.

The mother had arrived at the location of transfer 15 minutes early but not wanting the child to spend more time with the father, the woman locked the door and made the taxi wait as the child remained, crying.

Said Ms Teh: “I’m hoping the therapeutic justice model will be able to reach the fathers and the mothers who are undergoing divorce, that they understand that divorce is not just about them.

“It is about their children and the adverse effect on them that they may struggle to cope with.”

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Thai woman in $32m luxury goods scam convicted; prosecution seeking 14 to 15 years’ jail ADV: Singapore International Commercial Court Conference 2025