If you are divorcing in Singapore and have a child below 21, you will almost certainly come across the Co-Parenting Programme (CPP). Since 2024, most divorcing parents of minor children who cannot agree on the divorce or its related issues have been required to complete this programme before they can even file for divorce.

The programme is administered by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), and its aim is simple: to help parents put their children first while the marriage ends. This guide explains who must attend, what the CPP involves, when it fits into the divorce process, the limited exemptions, and how to get real value out of it.

From the Mandatory Parenting Programme (MPP) to the CPP

You may still see older articles referring to the Mandatory Parenting Programme, or MPP. The MPP was an earlier MSF requirement under which certain divorcing parents had to attend a consultation with a counsellor before starting divorce proceedings.

The MPP has since been replaced by the Co-Parenting Programme. The CPP took over as the compulsory pre-filing programme for divorcing parents of minor children, becoming a requirement for most such parents from 2024. If you come across the term MPP today, treat it as a reference to the old regime. The current requirement is the CPP, and it is the CPP certificate of completion that matters when you file.

The change was more than a rebrand. Where the MPP focused on a one-off consultation, the CPP is built around structured co-parenting content that both parents work through, reflecting the courts’ wider shift towards reducing conflict in family proceedings.

Who Must Attend the Co-Parenting Programme

In general terms, you must complete the CPP if all of the following apply:

  • You are divorcing under the civil regime (the Women’s Charter 1961; Muslim divorces go through the Syariah Court, which has its own processes).
  • You have at least one child below 21 years old.
  • You and your spouse have not reached agreement on the divorce and all of the ancillary matters, namely custody, care and control, access, maintenance and the division of assets.

The parent who starts proceedings must generally complete the programme before filing, and the other parent will be required to complete it in the course of the proceedings. Couples who have agreed on everything and qualify for the simplified track are generally not required to attend, though they can still choose to. The content is useful for any separating parents.

If the terms above are unfamiliar, it helps to understand the difference between custody, care and control, and access before you start, because the programme and the court process both use these concepts constantly.

What the Programme Involves

The CPP is delivered online through MSF, and there is no charge to complete it. You work through the material at your own pace, and each parent completes it individually. You do not need to sit through it together with your spouse.

The content typically covers:

  • How divorce affects children at different ages, and the signs that a child is struggling.
  • What co-parenting after divorce looks like in practice: communication, handovers, consistency between households.
  • Practical arrangements: living arrangements, schooling, expenses and how parenting plans work.
  • An overview of the legal process, so parents understand what the court will ask of them.

Depending on your circumstances, MSF may also arrange a consultation with a counsellor. When you finish, you receive confirmation of completion, which is what allows the divorce filing to proceed.

When the CPP Happens in the Divorce Process

The CPP sits right at the start of the process. If it applies to you, you need to complete it before the writ for divorce is filed. The court will expect proof of completion at filing. That makes it one of the first practical steps when you are preparing for a divorce involving children.

Build it into your timeline. The programme itself is not long (as a guide, expect to spend a few hours on it), but leaving it to the last minute can delay your filing, and filing is only the first of several stages. If timing matters to you, see our guide on how long a divorce takes in Singapore.

The court can also direct parents to attend the programme, or further counselling, later in proceedings if it considers that this would help the children. Completing the CPP early does not exhaust the court’s powers to send parents for support where conflict is high.

Exemptions From the Co-Parenting Programme

Exemptions are limited, and most parents who fall within the criteria simply have to complete the programme. Broadly, an exemption or waiver may be considered where:

  • You have recently completed the programme (for example, for earlier proceedings that did not go ahead).
  • There are exceptional circumstances that make completion impossible or inappropriate, such as serious illness.
  • Safety concerns such as family violence make aspects of the usual process unsuitable, in which case MSF and the court can adjust how the requirement is met.

Because the rules on exemptions are administrative and can change, check MSF’s current guidance or ask a family lawyer before assuming you are exempt. Simply ignoring the requirement is not an option. Without completion or an exemption, your filing will be held up.

Why the CPP Exists and How to Get the Most From It

Singapore’s family justice system treats the welfare of the child as the paramount consideration in every decision about child custody. Research and court experience point the same way: it is usually not divorce itself that harms children most, but prolonged conflict between their parents. The CPP exists to lower the temperature before proceedings begin, and to nudge parents towards agreement rather than litigation.

A few practical tips:

  • Do it early. Complete the programme as soon as you know divorce is likely, so it never becomes the bottleneck.
  • Take notes on the parenting-plan material. The thinking you do here feeds directly into the proposed parenting arrangements the court will want to see.
  • Treat it as preparation, not punishment. Parents who engage seriously often narrow their disputes, which saves real money and months of proceedings.
  • If anything in the programme raises safety concerns for you or your children, raise them with MSF, a support agency or your lawyer rather than pressing on silently.

The CPP takes a few hours. The co-parenting relationship it is trying to protect will last until your children are grown. Approached honestly, it is one of the few parts of the divorce process designed purely to help your family rather than to decide anything against you.