Access to Justice

The Family Justice Courts (FJC) have embarked on a collaboration with ServiceSG @ Our Tampines Hub to make frontline court services available at community touchpoints, starting with maintenance enforcement applications under Section 71 of the Women’s Charter. This initiative was announced by the Presiding Judge of the FJC, Justice Debbie Ong, during her presentation of the FJC Workplan 2022 on 18 March. It is part of the larger ‘Family Justice Without Walls’ programme aimed at enhancing access to justice across the heartlands.

The FJC commenced the pilot with ServiceSG in May 2022, with applications for enforcement of maintenance. Under the pilot, ServiceSG staff assist self-represented persons (SRPs) in filing the forms and completing the application process with the FJC’s Maintenance Registry, all within the same day. This means SRPs are no longer restricted to filing these enforcement applications at the FJC @ Havelock Square building. Instead, SRPs may now access FJC services at another venue nearer their homes with greater convenience.

Previously, while SRPs could draft enforcement applications online, they would still need to attend court in person to complete the process. With ServiceSG staff serving as community touchpoints, applicants can now be guided to complete the maintenance enforcement process with confidence and ease. Should they require assistance to affirm the authenticity and accuracy of their application contents before a duty judge, they can also do so through video-conference facilities available at the ServiceSG centre. SRPs may, at the same time, access other government services all under one roof.