Statute Details
- Title: Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) Notification 2020
- Act Code: CYPA1993-S513-2020
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (Notification)
- Authorising Act: Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38)
- Authorising Provision: Section 70(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act
- Enacting Formula: Made by the Minister for Social and Family Development
- Commencement: 1 July 2020
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (Citation and commencement); Section 2 (Approved hospitals); Section 3 (Cancellation); Schedule (List of approved hospitals)
- Status: Current version as at 26 Mar 2026
- Made Date: 12 June 2020
- Document Identifier: No. S 513
What Is This Legislation About?
The Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) Notification 2020 is a Singapore subsidiary instrument that designates specific hospitals as “approved hospitals” for the purposes of section 70 of the Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38). In practical terms, it is an administrative/legal mechanism: it tells the legal system which medical facilities may be treated as authorised sites for certain statutory processes involving children and young persons.
Although the Notification itself is short, its legal significance can be substantial. Many provisions in the Children and Young Persons Act operate by reference to “approved hospitals”. When a statute uses that term, it typically means that only hospitals meeting the statutory designation are eligible to perform, host, or receive children and young persons for particular legal or welfare-related procedures. By issuing this Notification, the Minister for Social and Family Development ensures that the statutory framework remains operational and aligned with the hospitals that are currently intended to carry out those functions.
The Notification also performs a consolidation function. It cancels an earlier instrument—the Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) (Consolidation) Notification (N 11)—and replaces it with the updated list in the Schedule. This is a common legislative technique in Singapore: rather than amending the list piecemeal, the Government issues a new Notification that updates the designation and formally supersedes the prior one.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation and commencement) provides the formal title and the date the Notification comes into force. The Notification is cited as the “Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) Notification 2020” and it operates from 1 July 2020. For practitioners, commencement matters because any statutory step that depends on the designation of an “approved hospital” will turn on whether the hospital was listed at the relevant time.
Section 2 (Approved hospitals) is the operative provision. It states that, for the purposes of section 70 of the Children and Young Persons Act, the Minister declares the hospitals specified in the Schedule to be approved hospitals. This provision does not itself describe the substantive welfare or legal procedure; instead, it supplies the definitional/eligibility element. The legal effect is that when section 70 is invoked, the hospitals listed in the Schedule are the ones that qualify.
Section 3 (Cancellation) is a standard supersession clause. It cancels the earlier “Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) (Consolidation) Notification (N 11)”. Cancellation is important for avoiding interpretive uncertainty. Once cancelled, the earlier list should no longer be relied upon for statutory compliance. Practitioners should therefore check the current Notification and its Schedule rather than older instruments.
The Schedule (Approved hospitals) contains the actual list of hospitals. While the extract provided does not reproduce the hospital names, the Schedule is the heart of the Notification. In legal practice, the Schedule is typically where the compliance question arises: whether a particular hospital is “approved” at the relevant time. For counsel advising on statutory processes under the Children and Young Persons Act, the Schedule must be consulted to confirm eligibility.
Practical legal linkage to section 70 of the Act. Because section 2 ties the designation to section 70(3), the Notification should be read together with section 70 itself. Section 70 likely sets out a statutory procedure involving children and young persons and requires that certain actions occur in an “approved hospital”. The Notification therefore functions as a gateway instrument: it enables the statutory procedure to be carried out in the designated facilities. If a hospital is not listed, the statutory requirement may not be satisfied, potentially affecting validity, admissibility, or procedural compliance depending on how section 70 is drafted.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Notification is structured in a straightforward, minimalist format typical of Singapore subsidiary legislation that performs a designation function.
It contains:
- Enacting Formula (the legal basis for making the Notification, referencing section 70(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act);
- Section 1 (Citation and commencement);
- Section 2 (Approved hospitals, by reference to the Schedule);
- Section 3 (Cancellation of the earlier consolidation Notification); and
- THE SCHEDULE (the list of approved hospitals).
There are no “Parts” or complex subdivisions. The structure reflects the Notification’s purpose: to update and formalise a list used by the parent Act. For practitioners, the key interpretive task is therefore not navigating multiple substantive sections, but rather confirming the current Schedule and understanding how section 70 of the Act uses the term “approved hospital”.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Notification applies to the extent that section 70 of the Children and Young Persons Act applies. While the Notification itself is addressed to the legal system (through the designation of hospitals), its practical effect is felt by:
- Children and young persons who may be subject to statutory processes under the Act that require placement, assessment, treatment, or other actions in an approved hospital;
- Hospitals and healthcare providers that may be tasked with carrying out those statutory processes; and
- Public authorities and legal actors (for example, agencies administering the Act, and parties involved in proceedings) who must ensure that statutory requirements are met.
Importantly, the Notification does not create obligations in the abstract; it supplies a qualifying status. Therefore, the “who” question is best answered by reference to the parent Act’s section 70: anyone who must comply with section 70’s hospital-related requirement must ensure that the hospital involved is one of those declared in the Schedule.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though the Notification is brief, it is legally important because it operationalises a statutory requirement. In child welfare and youth justice contexts, procedural compliance can be critical. If a statutory step must be taken in an “approved hospital”, then the designation list becomes a compliance checklist item for counsel, case officers, and institutional decision-makers.
From an enforcement and risk-management perspective, the Notification reduces ambiguity. By publishing a Schedule and formally cancelling an earlier consolidation instrument, the Government provides a clear, authoritative list. This helps avoid disputes about whether a particular hospital qualifies and ensures that statutory processes are carried out in facilities intended and authorised for the relevant functions.
For practitioners, the most practical impacts include:
- Due diligence on hospital eligibility: before advising on or arranging any step under section 70, confirm that the hospital is listed in the current Schedule;
- Temporal accuracy: because the Notification commenced on 1 July 2020, practitioners should consider whether the relevant events occurred before or after commencement (and whether any transitional issues arise);
- Supersession awareness: section 3 cancels the earlier consolidation Notification, so reliance on outdated lists is a potential error; and
- Integrated statutory reading: the Notification must be read with section 70 of the Children and Young Persons Act to understand the consequences of using (or failing to use) an approved hospital.
In short, the Notification is a key administrative instrument that ensures the statutory machinery for children and young persons can function properly through designated healthcare institutions.
Related Legislation
- Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38) — in particular section 70 (and the enabling provision section 70(3))
- Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) (Consolidation) Notification (N 11) — cancelled by section 3 of this Notification
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Children and Young Persons (Approved Hospitals) Notification 2020 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.