DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE v YDJ
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Practice Areas
Judges (1)
Case Significance
In Director-General of Social Welfare v YDJ [2026] SGFC 68, decided on 7 May 2026, District Judge Cheryl Koh of the Family Court granted a committal order under ss 12 and 14 of the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018, directing that the vulnerable adult YDJ be placed in a care facility for a period of two years. The key issue was whether a vulnerable adult with assessed mental capacity could nonetheless be committed to a nursing home against his express wishes, in his best interests for safety and protection. Counsel for the applicant Director-General of Social Welfare included Rasey Tan and Syauqina Amalyn Murad.
Summary
The Director-General of Social Welfare applied under s 14(1)(b) of the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018 to place a 63-year-old wheelchair-bound man with cognitive impairment in a nursing home against his express wishes. The central issue was whether committal to institutional care was justified in the best interests of a vulnerable adult who retained mental capacity to decide where he wished to live. The court granted the committal order placing the man at a care facility for two years, subject to conditions including counselling and a case review in May 2027.
Can a Singapore court order a vulnerable adult with mental capacity to be placed in a care facility against their wishes?
Yes. In Director-General of Social Welfare v YDJ [2026] SGFC 68, District Judge Cheryl Koh granted a two-year committal order under s 14(1)(b) of the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018, finding that placement in a care facility was in the best interests of YDJ despite his mental capacity and objections.
Judgment
Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.
Read on eLitigationSource: eLitigation ([2026] SGFC 68)