Status of Children (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Government bill, sponsored by the Ministry of Social Development and Innovation

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Gazetted
Published in the Gazette
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Introduced
23 June 2026
First appeared on the order paper
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Passed
23 June 2026
Third reading
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Enacted
1 July 2026
Act 18/2026
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In force

What this law does

This bill updates the Status of Children Act by clarifying definitions and expanding court authority. It allows 16-year-olds to consent to parentage blood tests with the same legal effect as adults, gives the Summary Court power to handle these cases (not just the Grand Court), and ensures ongoing cases transition smoothly under the new rules.

  • Summary Court now has jurisdiction to handle Status of Children Act matters, alongside the Grand Court
  • 16-year-olds can legally consent to parentage testing blood tests, treated as if they were 18 years old
  • Definitions of 'child' and 'parent' aligned with the Children Act (2012 Revision)
  • Existing cases under the old Affiliation Act can continue under the new Act when it takes effect

Who it affects: Minors aged 16-17, courts handling family law matters, individuals involved in paternity cases, and families navigating child custody and parentage issues

This summary is AI-generated from the official document and may contain errors; it is not legal advice. Always consult the source text below.

Official documents

Tracked automatically by the Daily.ky Legislative Tracker from parliament.ky, legislation.gov.ky, and the Cayman Islands Gazette. Status updates daily; this page's status banner refreshes live.