Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2020
Abstract
Abuse, exploitation and neglect of adults raise complex issues on the freedom of the individual to choose for themselves versus the powers of the State to intervene. The law has traditionally limited the scope of compulsory intervention to extreme situations only which can frustrate social workers who deal with such cases. On the other hand, it would be unacceptable to allow intervention simply because it is assessed to be in the adults’ best interests. A balance therefore has to be struck between autonomy and protection. This paper examines how Singapore’s Vulnerable Adults Act identifies the point for intervention and embodies safeguards to prevent abuse of the State’s powers.
Keywords
Elder abuse, elder law, vulnerable adults
Discipline
Asian Studies | Elder Law | Gerontology
Research Areas
Public Interest Law, Community and Social Justice
Publication
Elder Law Review
Volume
12
First Page
1
Last Page
17
ISSN
1045-7437
Publisher
University of Western Sydney
Citation
CHAN, Wing Cheong.
Holding the therapeutic state at bay? Balancing autonomy and protection in Singapore's Vulnerable Adults Act. (2020). Elder Law Review. 12, 1-17.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/3047
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Elder Law Commons, Gerontology Commons
Comments
The article is a republication (with minor amendments) of Tackling Elder Abuse: State Intervention under Singapore’s Vulnerable Adults Act (January 2019) (Discussion Paper No. 17, Center for Asian Legal Exchange, Nagoya University).