Syariah Court's Marriage Counselling Programme plays key role in nurturing strong and resilient Muslim families

20 February 2025 - The Syariah Court of Singapore (SYC) held its Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP) Community of Practice (COP) event today where they shared key learning points from the Programme as well as findings from a recent evaluation study on the MCP. The findings reinforce the programme’s effectiveness in supporting Muslim families facing relationship challenges.

2. In his opening address, Guest-of-Honour, Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health, and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs emphasised the vital role that the MCP has in nurturing resilient families and contributing to a Muslim community of success. He also highlighted SYC’s commitment to saving marriages, protecting the well-being of children and reducing acrimony between couples through therapeutic justice, guided by the Islamic principle of ihsan (compassion).

3. Over 58,000 referrals were made to the MCP between 2004 and 2024. From 2019 to 2023, nearly 40% of MCP clients did not proceed to file for divorce, demonstrating the programme’s effectiveness in helping couples explore reconciliation.

4. Through the recent evaluation study commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and SYC with 315 MCP clients and 25 MCP counsellors, several key findings were noted:

1. More than 80% of the MCP clients surveyed agreed that the counselling sessions had benefited them.
2. More than 60% of MCP clients gained a clearer understanding of issues in their marriage. They also learned strategies to manage the impact of divorce on themselves, and became more aware of available support resources.
3. Additionally, nearly 60% of clients said they learned how to better support their children through divorce, while over 68% gained clarity to make more informed decisions on whether they should reconcile or proceed with divorce through the programme.

5. SYC has been providing marriage counselling services since 1958, and the MCP was formalised in 2004 as an administrative pre-court programme and later as a legislative requirement in 2018. With support from its partner agencies, SYC employs a holistic approach by integrating marriage counselling, religious perspective, and parenting programmes to support couples exploring reconciliation or, when necessary, to facilitate an amicable divorce.

6. The COP event is a biannual event that provides a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing among practitioners. This year’s event is themed “Building Competencies, Strengthening Collaboration,” to share best practices and highlight the crucial role the MCP plays, as part of SYC’s efforts to support the preservation of family relationships and nurturing strong and resilient families, as the MCP marks its 21st year since being formalised as an administrative requirement in 2004.

7. The success of the MCP and related initiatives reflects the collaborative efforts of government agencies, community organisations, volunteers, and religious sectors. As Singapore continues to build a community of success, SYC remains committed to supporting Muslim families through challenges and contributing to the vision of resilient individuals and empowered families.

Annexes
Annex A: About the Marriage Counselling Programme
Annex B: About the Qualitative Programme Evaluation Study On the Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP)

Annex A: About the Marriage Counselling Programme

The Syariah Court of Singapore (SYC), under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), has been providing marriage counselling services since the establishment of the SYC in 1958. The Marriage Counselling Programme (“MCP”) was formalised in 2004 as an administrative pre-court programme to help save marriages by providing a safe and neutral platform for Muslim married couples to explore reconciliation, and if that is not possible, to facilitate amicable divorce and explore post-divorce options and responsibilities such as co-parenting.

In 2018, this programme was made mandatory as a prescribed activity that must be attended by a Muslim married person within a prescribed time before he/she may file a divorce application (section 46A of the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966). Exception to attend MCP is granted for revocation cases, terminally/ critically ill and the physically disabled/ infirmed.

The objective of the MCP is to save marriages and help couples reconcile. If reconciliation is not possible, the MCP counsellors will support the couples to work through their divorce amicably. For those with minor children below 21 years old, the MCP counsellors will engage the couples to consider their children’s needs and well-being when making decisions. They will be equipped with co-parenting skills to reduce parental conflict, thus minimising the negative impact of divorce on children. MCP also connects divorcing couples and their children to national and community resources for additional and continued support.

Currently, SYC partners 5 social service agencies for MCP¹.

As part of MCP, couples can seek clarification from a pool of resource persons (Islamic religious teachers) on Muslim laws concerning marriage and divorce. This enables them to make informed decisions before proceeding with the next step.

One of the success factors of the Marriage Counselling Programme is the holistic approach taken to support families. This is done through:

1. Partnerships with community organisations and asatizah fraternity for marriage counselling, and
2. Protecting the well-being of children through initiatives such as the parenting programme.

Marriage counselling provides MCP clients with the platform for clients to reflect on self and communicate with their spouses on difficult topics within their marriage.

MCP clients have also described the counselling approach taken by counsellors to be personable that encouraged trust. While the presence of Resource Persons who are trusted as figures of religious authority helped to provide clarity on faith-based questions regarding marriage and divorce. MCP clients with children have also indicated that the use of a structured plan in the Parenting Programme helped to encourage transparency and cooperation between parents. Counsellors offered perspectives and strategies for improving the co-parenting relationship by prioritising the needs and wellbeing of the child.

^{(1) Apkim Centre for Social Services (2) AMP Singapore (3) Darul Arqam (4) Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS) (5) Reach Community Services.}

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Syariah Court of Singapore (SYC) commissioned a qualitative programme evaluation study of the Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP) from February 2024 to October 2024. An online survey was administered and 315 responses from MCP clients and 25 responses from MCP counsellors were received. 5 interviews with each of the MCP agencies and 3 interviews with Resource Persons were conducted, as well as 10 MCP clients were also interviewed.

The key outcomes of the evaluation study seeks to:

1. Examine the effectiveness of the MCP in meeting its intended objectives for the clients
2. Establish the outcomes which MCP has achieved
3. Provide recommendations on the support needed from MCP counsellors and resource persons to deliver the MCP programme
4. Contribute to the ongoing development and enhancement of the Marriage Counselling Programme

Key Findings from the Qualitative Programme Evaluation Study

Findings from the study suggest that more than 80% of MCP clients that were interviewed agree that the MCP counselling sessions bring about benefit to the clients. More than 60% of MCP clients interviewed indicated that they:

1. Gained a clearer understanding of issues in their marriage,
2. Learned strategies to better manage the impact of divorce on themselves, and
3. Gained knowledge on the resources available for support.

Close to 60% of MCP clients also indicated that they have learned strategies to better manage the impact of divorce on their children. More than 68% indicated gaining clarity on their decision to reconcile or proceed with divorce.

The study has also revealed additional needs of MCP clients, MCP counsellors, and Resource Persons, which include:

• Clients expressing hope for both post-MCP or post-divorce support. For those deciding to reconcile, they could benefit from post-MCP counselling support to continue working on underlying issues and strengthening their marriage. For those deciding on divorce, clients report support needed for divorce processes, support in post-divorce arrangement for their children and/or continued counselling to help individuals cope with the aftermath of divorce.
• Improving programme modality, e.g. more flexibility in the number of sessions provided to clients especially those keen on working on their marriage, and differentiated counselling approaches for specific client profiles.