Study On Singapore Family Court System

Since 2016,our country has carried out pilot reform of family trials,local governments have actively set up family courts and family trial teams to handle family disputes,already achieved a series of remarkable results.However,some unresolved problems have also been exposed,especially there is no consensus on how to establish a family trial agency.As a country along the "Belt and Road" that is relatively close to China in terms of geographical conditions and cultural traditions,Judicial cooperation between Singapore and China has been further deepened in recent years.This paper aims to conduct a systematic study,and carries on combing comprehensively regarding the development context and overall construction of Singapore’s family court system.From the perspective of comparative law,this paper analyze the current problems in our national affairs specialized judicial organs,and come up with perfect suggestions,provide new ideas and directions for the development of the said organs.The first part of this article is a background introduction,mainly introducing the historical evolution of Singapore’s family court system.The reform of family trials in Singapore is inseparable from its special historical background and the construction of the legal system.Under the influence of the idea of equality between husband and wife and the women’s liberation movement,the reform of the family justice system has accelerating changed.In 1995,Singapore established the Family Courts in accordance with the Women’s Charter,and the Family Justice Courts was finally established in 2014.The second part of this article is the value orientation,which mainly analyzes the legal value contained in the construction of Singapore’s family court system,including the value of family justice,family harmony and litigation efficiency.The value of family justice requires the function of dispute resolution and interpersonal relationship repair,focusing on the best interests of child;The value of family harmony focuses on the peaceful and friendly resolution of family disputes;The realization of the value of litigation efficiency is jointly guaranteed by legal norms and procedural settings.The third part of this article is the system content,which systematically introduces the jurisdiction,main structure,trial procedures and reform trends of the family judicial court.The Family Justice Courts is composed of judges and court family specialists to form a professional family trial team,and work closely with the out-of-court support networks,which governs all family-related litigation and non-litigation cases,including domestic civil litigation and youth arrest cases,etc.In terms of trial procedures,the trial mode of pre-trial triage and judge-led trial is adopted,and the application of mediation is emphasized.Continuously innovate and improve existing procedures and enhance professional capabilities based on judicial practice.Overall,the Singapore Family Justice Courts has the characteristics of practice-based,detailed procedures,and "combined but different".The fourth part is the present situation of our country.Remarkable results have been achieved since China’s family trial reform has been established,the family trial system and idea have been further optimized and innovated.However,the problems are still remained such as inconsistent institutional settings,imperfect training mechanism for family judges and insufficient protection of children’s interests.The fifth part of this article is enlightenment,which is mainly the analyzation regarding the influence of the establishment of Singapore’s family court system on our country’s judicial institution system.From the perspective of comparative law,China can learn from the Singapore model and adopt a progressive reform plan.First family courts should be widely established in the basic people’s courts as dispatch courts,which integrating with the juvenile courts under the premise of relative independence,then gradually explored the establishment of specialized family courts.In addition,we should change our values,pursue the unity of family harmony and individual rights,and pay attention to protecting the spiritual needs of minors.At the same time,it is necessary to improve the selection and training mechanism of family judges,consummate the protection system of minors’ interests,and promote special legislation for family trials.