Singapore, Nov. 14 -- In my line of work as a lawyer, I've spoken to social workers who have encountered many cases of children whose biological parents are uninvolved in their lives and who are being cared for and raised by other families instead.
Such "non-parents" do not have any legal relationship with the child and they inevitably face problems in making decisions on behalf of the child, such as in registering for primary school or applying for certain financial assistance schemes.
In the recent public consultation by the Committee to Review and Enhance Reforms in the Family Justice System, our law firm submitted feedback asking for a legislative review to allow non-parents to apply for guardianship orders or specific-issue orders ...