For AY 2022/2023 Term 1, the community partner will be the SMU Pro Bono Centre. The proportion of older persons in Singapore will increase significantly over the coming decades. In recognition of the societal and demographic changes, the SMU Pro Bono Centre aims to create an online resource portal on the legal issues related to mental capacity and death. This will help the general public, litigants-in- person, caregivers and other family members to navigate this area, and to plan for themselves and their loved ones.
There is no one-stop resource portal on such legal issues available in Singapore to date. Information is scattered in different websites by government organisations, social service agencies and others. These websites may also not be user-friendly or offer sufficient help to the public, litigants-in-person and caregivers.
Students taking this course in AY 2022/2023 Term 1 will not only learn about the laws and policies relating to mental capacity, deputyship, lasting power of attorney, succession etc but also discover through interviews and discussions with social workers and caregivers their difficulties in making use of the legal instruments available. Students will work in groups to creatively come up with user- friendly information and solutions through videos, FAQs, step by step guides and automated resources for self- help in key legal instruments.
By the end of the course, students should:
1. have a sound knowledge of the law and policies relating mental capacity and succession, and the various legal instruments such as deputyship, lasting power of attorney and Wills;
2. be able to present legal information in a creative way that can be easily understood by the layman which is still accurate and precise;
3. understand the legal needs of litigants-in-person, caregivers and the general public in this area;
4. have explored ways to enhance the ability of litigants-in-person, caregivers and the general public to help
themselves, for example through automated form filling and filing of documents.