IN THIS ISSUE Trends & BendsGOVERNMENTWILL USE SPRD NewsletterEDUCATION TO Sep 2017OFFER HOPE TOYOUNG Casey Weiss posts hisOFFENDERS last vlog entryIS BIRD'S NEST by Kate V. PanthersPARENTING THEBEST WAY TO According to Wikipedia, newsletters are published byDEAL WITH clubs, churches, societies, associations, andDIVORCE? businesses—especially companies—to provide information of interest to members, customers, orTHE DIVORCE APP employees. Google's definition of a newsletter is, \"aTHAT LETS YOU bulletin issued periodically to the members of aBREAK UP society, business, or organization.\" A newsletter mayWITHOUT be considered \"grey literature\". NewslettersBREAKING THE delivered electronically via email (e-newsletters)BANK have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in general has gained popularity over printed correspondence. Some newsletters are created as money-making ventures and sold directly to subscribers. Sending newsletters to customers and prospects is a common marketing strategy, which can have benefits and drawbacks.
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017Government will use education to offer hope to youngoffenders The Guardian, 10 Dec 2016 The UK government will be setting up two new “secure schools” and introduce measures to monitor progress in English, mathematics, health and behaviour among young offenders, in a radical change to youth custody. The reform follows publication of an independent assessment by Charlie Taylor, a child behavioural expert, who had earlier commented that the existing system did little more than teach offenders how to survive in prison. Liz Truss, the Lord Chancellor and the secretary of state for justice, noted that youth custody should be about more than containment where children are exposed to yet more violence and not given sufficient support and guidance to turn over a new leaf. While acknowledging that early intervention is crucial in reducing youth crime, she felt that urgent action is required to transform youth custody places of discipline and purpose. Teenagers Who Vandalised Historic Black Schoolhouse are Ordered to Read Books The New York Times, 8 Feb 2017
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017Meanwhile, in Virginia in the USA, five teenagers defaced a historic black schoolhouse withracist and anti-Semitic graffiti and were ordered to read a list of curated books for a year as aform of penance. The graffiti sprayed on the building included sexual images, phrases like“brown power” and “white power” and swastika symbols, which at least one of the fivejuveniles allegedly did not know the meaning of. Once the books are read, the teenagers areto write up a report on them by making historical references and describing how suchmessages impact the community. The idea behind this rather unusual approach is anopportunity to educate the youth offenders and to sensitise them to these issues for a betterunderstanding of the significance of their actions.Similarly in Singapore, the key focus has been the rehabilitation of the youth who lands incourt due to criminal behaviours. High-risk youths are often required to reside in approvedhomes (such as the Singapore Boys’ Home) in order to instil discipline and order. Community-based rehabilitation programmes such as the Guidance Programme (GP) also help youthoffenders by, amongst many other things, teaching them to recognise the offence committedas anti-social and a criminal act. As the Chief Justice shared at the Conference on At-RiskYouth in 2015, we place a great deal of emphasis on restoration, rehabilitation, reform andreintegration of our youth offenders as they are, together with their families, the future ofour society. As one of the last lines of defence, it may be useful for us to stay abreast of thesetypes of creative rehabilitative youth-focused interventions which are evolving in otheradvanced jurisdictions.
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017 Is Bird's nest parenting the best way to deal with divorce? Latest separation approach sees children keep control of the family home. The Daily Mail, 17 Oct 2016Bird’s Nest Parenting is a relatively new idea originating out of the US where, instead of shuttling the childrenback and forth, the divorcing parents take turns to move between homes whilst the children remain in thefamily home (the “nest”). The latest separation trend is gaining traction in North America and in recent timesalso in Britain as the preferred alternative to shuffling the children. Specialists, including family psychologistsand parents practising bird’s nesting are seeing the benefits which include: continuity and stability for thechildren, less disruption in the routine of their lives, etc. This is particularly important in more turbulenttimes such as during exam periods, etc.The practice places the children and their welfare at the centre of the divorce process and is a semi-permanent or temporary arrangement to allow them a smoother transition to life as a divorced family.Parents practice co-parenting as opposed to one parent being a full-time caregiver with the other a “visiting”parent. However, in order for this arrangement to work, both parents must be agreeable and committed to it.Most importantly, both parents must accept that the arrangement is for the sake of the children and not forhim/her.
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017As with any new development, Bird’s Nest Parenting is not without its criticisms and both practicing andnon-practicing parents have expressed their disapproval of it. Philosophically, some have found that thearrangement sends a message to the children that “you are the centre of the universe” where parents areinferior to them and live as slaves, raising self-centred, narcissistic adults instead of strong men and womenwho can accept the harsh realities of life (more on the concept of “tough love” can be read at www.oprah.com(15 February 2017) “The Most Valuable Thing a Parent Can Do for Their Kids” and at Naples Daily News (1January 2017) “Your kids should not be the most important in the family”). Practically, if the circumstances donot allow, such an arrangement may get expensive as the parents need to arrange for another residenceaway from the nest. It also becomes difficult when parents enter new relationships with new partners whowill have to accommodate to the temporary, but unusual, lifestyle.In any case, supporters of Bird’s Nest Parenting agree that if done well and parties can let the divorce be thepast, and the health of the children be the present, the winners in the arrangements are ultimately the kids.This falls perfectly in line with the courts’ approach to place the interest of the child at the top of the list inmatters of divorce and may be an interesting concept to study further as an alternative to the traditionalmethods employed in child custody matters, even if it will require a high level of maturity from divorcingparties.More tips for successful nesting can be found here.
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017The divorce app that lets you break up without breakingthe bank The Guardian, 2 Jun 2017Amicable Divorce is a new self-service British app launched in September 2016 “to help couples separate anddivorce in the most family-friendly way possible” and “to help you reach better agreements and save you timeand money”. The app hopes to provide a viable alternative to paying high legal fees for something that tworeasonable people can in fact do themselves. Whilst it may not be the only online service to offer divorces, itmay be the only app-based service available today containing all the necessary legal information as well as theemotional support to help the process of divorce go more smoothly for families.The app focuses on the first two stages of a three-stage divorce process: 1) disclosure of assets; and 2)arrangements (splitting of assets, co-parenting plans, etc.) by guiding the user through the separation processand storing the user’s financial and parenting information. The user has the option to invite his/her partner toa dialogue in a transparent environment that helps them to make fairer decisions about their separation ratherthan play the “blame game”. When parties are ready (or are unable to agree any further), the app links users upwith partnered law firms who then help couples to mediate further and ultimately formalise their agreementsand prepare the prescribed paperwork for submissions to the courts. The app founders consider the first twostages as “emotional problems” with legal implications rather than legal issues per se, that do not necessarilyrequire legal advice if parties are reasonable with each other. By carving out the non-legal activities of theprocess as much as possible, parties are able to optimise their legal costs and reduce fees, while focusing on anamicable resolution for the future.
Trends & Bends SPRD Newsletter Sep 2017Similarly, in 2015, Splitsville, a US-based startup was introduced to help people facing breakups of any kind,including divorce. The app, with its catchy tagline “It’s over. You’re not.” is able to “bring a somewhat taboosubject to the forefront and make it normal, appropriate, even glamorous and funny.” As a social mediaplatform, the app attracts multigenerational interests where users can “connect with others, swap stories, getideas, solutions and much more” whilst being anonymous. Although the American app does not function as aself-service divorce app like Amicable Divorce aims to be, it is an equally empowering service for users goingthrough split-ups. Both apps are in their late trial phases, however, Amicable Divorce is seeking venture capitalbacking to fund a marketing drive and growth campaign this year, as there is a demand for the service.In the context of Singapore, statistics show that divorce is becoming more common especially betweenyounger couples who may not be adequately prepared for marriage causing them to face additional stressesespecially if they become parents early. Other than assisting such families upstream, it has become essential toextend support to them once they have decided to split. Against this background, applications such as these toequip parties with the right tools to move forward, may be worth considering especially since the latest figuresin the Singapore indicate that an average divorce case (whether contested or uncontested) could cost a partybetween $10,000 and $30,000* in fees alone, making out-of-court discussions important so that additionalcosts are not incurred but can be used towards meaningful matters such as the support of the children.You can try out the web version of Splitsville here and both applications are available for free in the App Store.*Dollars and Sense (26 May 2017). How much could a divorce cost in Singapore? Retrieved fromhttp://dollarsandsense.sg/how-much-cold-a-divorce-cost-in-singapore/.
Search
Read the Text Version
- 1 - 7
Pages: