New app to help divorced couples co-parent, reduce conflict

A new mobile application to help divorced couples co-parent was launched by the Community Justice Centre (CJC) on Sept 20, in hopes of reducing miscommunication and conflict.

This comes in the light of social service agencies seeing more people seeking co-parenting support and a high volume of divorce cases assisted by CJC’s social and legal services. CJC is targeting 500 users in the first year.

Besides calendar scheduling functions, the app will allow divorced parents to keep track of their child’s financial expenses and attach receipts as proof.

It will also let users share documents and exchange messages through a chat without needing to reveal their phone numbers.

Logs from the app, such as requests for time with the child in the calendar and message exchanges, can be exported for official purposes like court submissions.

The app was launched during CJC’s Charity Dinner, held at the Sentosa Golf Club, where Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee spoke on the role CJC plays in helping to keep Singapore’s justice system accessible and open to everyone.

He highlighted its efforts to support those who represent themselves in court, like helping them navigate complex legal proceedings and unfamiliar terminology through online visual guides.

CJC said the new app was designed to prioritise accountability and transparency in co-parenting.

Dr Leonard Lee, executive director of CJC, told The Straits Times that the centre has seen a consistently high volume of divorce cases involving maintenance and child access issues, assisted by its socio-legal services.

Data from CJC’s Maintenance Record Officer (MRO) shows that on average, about 70 per cent of MRO cases per year were assessed to be likely due to an unwillingness to pay maintenance despite the court order, even though the respondent could afford to do so.

Dr Lee said: “This obviously demands some interventive measures for better monitoring and out-of-court ‘enforcement’ to support affected families.”

Divorce is a life-changing event, and children can carry the effects of it as they grow up, he added.

It is timely to provide stronger support for divorced families to mitigate the lingering effects of divorce on children, he said.

A total of 7,118 marriages ended in a divorce or an annulment in 2023, according to data from the Department of Statistics. This was a 0.2 per cent increase from 7,107 in 2022. 

Family service centres previously told ST in August that co-parenting is a big concern for those who seek divorce support there.

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities saw an average increase of 20 per cent in the number of cases where co-parenting support was sought from 2019 to 2023.

Functions of CJC’s app, like a template to request to reschedule events or access arrangements, aim to minimise conflict if there are last-minute changes, Dr Lee said.

Usage of the app is currently on a voluntary basis, but will be encouraged by third parties like mediators, social workers and family lawyers to their clients.

Dr Lee said: “In acrimonious situations, it’s crucial to approach the topic with empathy and patience, acknowledging that overcoming initial resistance may take time.”

CJC will draw attention to the potential benefits of using the app, like reduced conflict, easier communication, and better organisation of parenting tasks, to show these parents how it can simplify their lives and improve co-parenting, he said.

He added: “It will be highlighted that improved communication and organisation can positively impact the child’s stability and emotional well-being and the app will be framed as a tool designed to benefit the child.”

Head lawyer Gloria James of law firm Gloria James-Civetta & Co said that issues that crop up in co-parenting include sending the child back home later than the agreed timing after visitation, parents blocking each other on WhatsApp and insisting on a third party, like a domestic helper, to facilitate communication.

She said CJC’s app will be helpful in resolving some of these issues, as it can allow both parents to have a record of whether their former spouse has complied with court orders to provide access to the children, and maintenance or financial arrangements.

Other forms of communication, like WhatsApp messages, can be easily manipulated by one party and deleted in the log thread. The app’s log can serve as reliable evidence that can be tendered in court, she added.

“I believe it will help to keep conflict at bay. It will help parties to effectively communicate and strive to always put their child first.”

The app can be found at coparentingsg.cjc.org.sg