Adoption of Children (General) Regulations 2024

a Ministry or department of the Government;

an Organ of State; or

a body corporate established by a public Act for the purposes of a public function; “relevant website” means the Internet website of the Ministry of Social and Family Development at https://www.msf.gov.sg;“social service agency” means any not-for-profit organisation which provides as its primary function a bona fide direct social service which helps to meet existing needs of the community.

the applicant’s reason or reasons for seeking to adopt a child;

the physical, mental, psychological and emotional health of the applicant;

the financial means of the applicant, and whether the applicant is financially stable and is likely to remain so if a child were to be adopted by the applicant; (d)whether any of the following applies to the applicant and, if so, its relevance to the applicant’s ability to properly care for a child: (i)the applicant has been convicted of, or has accepted any offer of composition for, any offence in Singapore (except an offence set out in the Schedule to the Adoption of Children (Prescribed Offences) Regulations 2024 (G.N. No. S 784/2024));

the applicant has contravened or failed to comply with any law in Singapore (which contravention or failure, as the case may be, does not constitute an offence); (iii)the applicant has breached or failed to comply with any order given by any court of law, or by a tribunal constituted under any written law, in Singapore;

whether the applicant was, or is being, investigated for any offence in Singapore, and the outcome of the investigations if concluded;

the following factors affecting the applicant’s ability to parent and care for an adopted child:

the parenting capacity of the applicant, such as —

whether the applicant understands the responsibility that comes with parenthood;

whether the applicant understands the parenting of a child who has been adopted, including understanding the unique needs of such a child;

whether the applicant understands the benefits of disclosing, and intends to disclose, to his or her adopted child the child’s adoptive status;

whether the applicant understands and has the capacity to meet a child’s physical, mental, psychological, emotional, educational and social needs;

whether the applicant uses or engages in, or is aware of, appropriate parenting methods; and

in the case of joint applicants — whether the joint applicants are aware of the importance of joint parenting;

the stability of care and the quality of the home environment that the applicant is able to provide;

the following factors affecting the resources available to the applicant in the parenting of a child:

whether the applicant has access to adequate support in the parenting of a child, whether within or outside the applicant’s household;

whether the applicant is receptive to seeking support in the parenting of a child from social service agencies if necessary;

whether there is an alternative caregiver in the event of the demise of the applicant, or in the event that the applicant suffers from any physical or mental disability or illness which renders the applicant incapable of parenting or caring for a child;

any factor that may pose a risk to the safety and welfare of a child;

where the authorised adoption agency, Guardian‑in‑Adoption or the court (whichever is applicable) considers that the views of any immediate family member of the applicant or any member of the applicant’s household are relevant to the applicant’s ability to parent or care for a child — such views, whether conveyed directly to the agency, Guardian‑in‑Adoption or the court or indirectly through the applicant;

the strength of the relationship between the applicant and each immediate family member of the applicant and each member of the applicant’s household;

whether the applicant is of good character;

in the case of joint applicants — the duration of their marriage and the strength of the marital relationship; (m)if the applicant has resided with a child, or spent any amount of time with a child, for the purpose of considering whether to adopt the child —

the strength of the relationship between the child and the applicant; (ii)the ability of the applicant to care for the child and the degree of the applicant’s involvement in such care; (iii)if the child is of suitable age and maturity — the wishes of the child in relation to the proposed adoption; and

whether an adoption order in respect of the child in favour of the applicant legally changes existing family relations between the child and the applicant;

if a child has been identified for adoption and the child is of suitable age and maturity — the wishes of the child in relation to the proposed adoption; (o)whether granting an adoption order in the circumstances of the case will offend —

the Government’s policy to promote parenthood within a marriage, or any publicly communicated Government policy regarding adoption of children by singles; or

any publicly communicated Government policy regarding surrogacy.

the applicant becomes employed or unemployed;

the applicant is adjudged a bankrupt, is discharged from bankruptcy, or a bankruptcy order against him or her is annulled;

any change in the applicant’s income, financial resources or financial obligations, which is not likely to be transient in nature;

the applicant changes his or her place of residence;

any change in the applicant’s relationship or marital status;

the applicant is diagnosed with, relapses in, or recovers from any physical, mental, psychological or emotional health condition that is likely to adversely affect the applicant’s ability to parent and care for a child; (g)the applicant receives or stops receiving assistance from any public agency or social service agency;

any change in the applicant’s proposed or planned caregiving arrangement for any child that may be adopted by the applicant;

the applicant, any immediate family member of the applicant or any member of the applicant’s household is investigated for, charged with, convicted of, or acquitted of, an offence in Singapore;

the applicant, any immediate family member of the applicant or any member of the applicant’s household is investigated by any public agency for any alleged contravention of or failure to comply with any law in Singapore (which contravention or failure does not amount to an offence); (k)there is a change in the number or composition of the applicant’s immediate family members or the applicant’s household;

an immediate family member of the applicant or a member of the applicant’s household passes away, or is diagnosed with, relapses in, or recovers from, any physical, mental, psychological or emotional health condition that is likely to pose a risk to the safety or welfare of a child; (m)if a child has been identified for adoption by the applicant —

the child is diagnosed with any physical, mental, psychological or emotional health condition that is likely to require the applicant to expend more resources than the applicant is able to in order to provide the necessary care for the child for the duration of the condition; or

the applicant becomes aware of a change in the child’s wishes in relation to the proposed adoption.

a person who has made or who intends to make an application for the adoption of the child; (b)a solicitor or an agent of a person mentioned in paragraph (a);

any person engaged by a person mentioned in paragraph (a) to facilitate the adoption of the child; or

any adoption agency engaged by a person mentioned in paragraph (a) in relation to the adoption of the child, or any employee of such an adoption agency acting in relation to the adoption of the child.