Syariah Court’s Second Practice Forum Advances Collaborative, Child-Centred Care for Muslim Families in Divorce

Inter-disciplinary forum deepens collaboration among legal, social science and religious professionals in supporting Muslim families

SINGAPORE, 31 JULY 2026 - The Syariah Court of Singapore (SYC) held its second Practice Forum, themed "Justice Within Reach: Collaborative Care for Families in Divorce". The Forum brought together more than 250 legal professionals, social science professionals, and asatizah (religious scholars) to deepen interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting Muslim families navigating divorce.

New Initiatives by SYC

• At the Forum, SYC announced that it has begun piloting co-mediation, where mediators and Court Therapeutic Specialists work together with vulnerable families and their children. Introduced in April 2025, therapeutic support is provided during the co-mediation session, ensuring that the emotional, psychological, and legal dimensions of a family's situation are addressed in an integrated and holistic way.

• Co-mediation also strengthens the Court’s abilities to identify the issues faced by vulnerable families accurately and quickly, to provide more timely and co-ordinated care. Where concerns such as family violence, child welfare issues, or heightened parental conflict surface during a session, Court Therapeutic Specialists act swiftly to connect families to social service agencies with the appropriate resources and support.

• SYC and Legal Aid Bureau also shared its latest initiatives to support self-represented parties, such as the Syariah Court’s Divorce Guide and the Legal Aid Bureau’s e-Bantu tool which seek to provide accessible reference materials and step-by-step guidance to assist parties in preparing their Court documents and navigate the Court process with greater confidence.

Muslim family justice moves towards therapeutic, child-centred approach

• These initiatives are part of SYC’s journey towards a more therapeutic and child-centred model of family justice, where children’s voices and needs are being protected at every stage of proceedings. Key milestones include:

  • 2017: Inclusion of Marriage Counselling Programme in legislation, requiring all couples to attend counselling prior to filing for divorce.

  • 2022: Launch of the Court Counselling Framework and the Joint Child Interview, conducted jointly by a Court President and Court Therapeutic Specialist, giving children a meaningful voice in divorce proceedings.

  • 2023: Launch of the Child Representative Scheme, where social science professionals with specialist training in working with children are appointed to provide independent expert observations and reports to the Court, ensuring the child's perspective is independently represented in proceedings.

About the Forum

• The Forum was graced by Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and   Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, who emphasised in his opening address that the quality of the journey through the legal process matters as much as the outcome, and that a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach is needed to support Muslim families undergoing divorce.

• The Forum also featured a keynote address by Ustaz Irwan Hadi Mohd Shuhaimy, Senior President of the Syariah Court on the principles of ihsan (compassion) and islah (conciliation) as the foundations of therapeutic justice in Muslim family law, a joint presentation by the Syariah Court and the Legal Aid Bureau on supporting self-represented persons, and an interactive interdisciplinary case study discussion on high-conflict divorces.

• The SYC remains committed to working with partners across the legal, social services and religious sectors to protect the welfare of children and ensure that every Muslim family navigating divorce receives the support, compassion and dignity they deserve.

About the Syariah Court of Singapore

The Syariah Court of Singapore was established under the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966 to administer Muslim personal law in Singapore, including matters relating to Muslim divorce. The Court is committed to delivering justice that is not only legally sound, but therapeutically just, child-centred and supportive of families in transition aligned with the Islamic principles of ihsan (the pursuit of excellence in all things, with care and conscience) and islah (the continuous, humble commitment to reform).

About the Syariah Court Practice Forum

The Syariah Court Practice Forum was first held in 2024 to bring together professionals from across the legal, social science and religious sectors to explore healing-centred approaches to Muslim family justice. The Forum is held biennially and is organised by the Syariah Court of Singapore