Parliament begins debate on four family law reform bills

Local childrenlawparliamentTop News Parliament begins debate on four family law reform bills Divorce+++family+law Relevant News Parliament begins debate on four family law reform bills 2 September 2026 Serious crash shuts Limassol-Paphos motorway at Episkopi 2 September 2026 Freedom24 explores Geneva presence as part of long-term Swiss strategy 2 September 2026 newsroom 2 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee began clause-by-clause debate today on four of eight bills that radically amend Family Law. The bills form part of a wider reform regulating family relationships, and particularly child protection, that began in 2018. Parliament has already passed four bills plus one on mediation, leaving four more that have been pending since 2023 due to objections from lawyers, single parents and the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. The four bills under discussion are the Parent-Child Relations (Amendment) Law of 2018, the Wills and Succession (Amendment) Law of 2018, the Regulation of Matrimonial Property Relations (Amendment) Law of 2018, and the Children (Kinship and Legal Status) Law 2018. Committee chair Fotini Tsiridou told philenews that today’s discussion marked the start of efforts to complete a major reform. She added that the bills would be discussed at further Committee sessions, with the aim of bringing them before the full House for a vote by the end of October. According to Justice Ministry official Fedra Grigoriou, who worked on the bills, the legislation amends the provision covering cases where a child’s surname is not declared. The change aims for equal treatment between parents. Under the new provision, the child will carry a double surname, made up of both parents’ surnames. The legislation also introduces a series of further changes. Administrative and other competent authorities will be required to take into account a child’s views, their best interests, and any incidents of violence, during administrative or other proceedings concerning the child. One parent will be allowed to seek assessment, treatment, support or monitoring of the child by a professional without the other parent’s consent, in cases where the child is a victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse by the other parent or a third party, once a criminal case has been filed. There is provision for the appointment of a Social Welfare Services officer, or, where necessary, a Mental Health Services officer, to investigate all circumstances relating to parental responsibility for the child and submit a report to the court. A District Multidisciplinary Team may also be convened, coordinated by the Social Welfare Services, to draw up an intervention plan that may include recommendations on the need for interim measures. The court will be able to issue directions and orders for the implementation and monitoring of that plan. Elsewhere, a parent’s right to personal contact with their child becomes an obligation once that parent applies for, and is granted, a contact order. Supervised contact orders may be issued in special circumstances, particularly in cases involving incidents of violence or where one parent is living with the child in accommodation for victims of domestic violence. Such an order is issued for a specific period as an interim measure, and can only become a final order if the court considers this reasonable. Parents may be referred to compulsory participation in educational or counselling programmes, or parenting skills courses, where this benefits the parent-child relationship. A maintenance order may also be issued in favour of the Director of Social Welfare Services, in cases where parental responsibility has been removed from the parents and assigned to the Director, provided the parents are not financially unable to contribute to the child’s maintenance. Separately, the validity of a child maintenance order can be extended beyond the child reaching adulthood, without the need for a new order to be issued, in cases where the child, despite becoming an adult, has not yet completed basic schooling, meaning attendance at a public or private secondary school or technical college. This extension will not exceed 24 months from the date the child turns 18. The bills further ensure disclosure of parents’ actual income and assets, through a sworn statement, for the purposes of determining the level of child maintenance. Finally, the court will be able to impose an additional amount, equivalent to 20 per cent of the outstanding maintenance owed, in cases where the person liable fails to pay maintenance, unless financial inability is proven in writing. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Serious crash shuts Limassol-Paphos motorway at Episkopi Freedom24 explores Geneva presence as part of long-term Swiss strategy Protected areas, or open house for anyone? Incompetence and graft, that’s the problem. The rest is excuses. The 12% penalty needs a drastic cut Erhurman says sunken Kyrenia catamaran has been located Cyprus’s madness: tragedy first, action second Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.