In DDN v DDO, the Appellate Division of the High Court explored how the notion of therapeutic justice applies in the context of a variation of access orders. This note reviews DDN v DDO and argues that the approach adopted by the Appellate Division of the High Court has much to commend it for recognising the need for flexibility when varying orders relating to children while at the same time reminding parents of the importance of parental responsibility and encouraging them to put in their best efforts to make adjustments to access orders by agreement in the spirit of therapeutic justice.

Two comparative law jurists accurately observed this character of legal development more than two decades ago. The laws of several countries of the effect of marriage on each spouse’s interest in the property of the other acquired during the course of their marriage are proving this proposition. This note records developments in Singapore and England. Recent decisions in England portend to mirror earlier development in Singapore.