Attorney General Louise Mitchell on Monday announced the creation of a Family Court Division, among initiatives in her first address to the High Court since taking office on Dec. 2, 2025.
Mitchell said the New Democratic Party government, which came to office in November, places great importance on addressing the challenges facing families, particularly children.
“It is the first time in our history that we have a separate ministry dedicated to the family, led by Honourable Laverne Gibson-Velox,” Mitchell said in the address to mark the opening of the law year.
The Family Court Division is essentially the consolidation of the Family Court, Magistrates Court and the High Court in respect of family proceedings “under one roof”.
“The Family Court Division will focus on addressing family issues like custody, divorce and child welfare,” the attorney general said.
“The time has come to prioritise the best interests of children and dependents, ensuring that their needs and rights are considered in legal decisions.”
She said her six weeks on the job so far have been “exciting” and the initiatives would demonstrate how busy she has been.
The attorney general announced that her chambers have completed the first draft of the Children Care Regulations.
“While the Children (Care and Adoption) Act was passed in 2010, the main regulations are still outstanding some 15 years later,” she told the court.
“The direct impediment that this has created is that children are placed in state care without a formal care order. Parents who are unfit and are desirous of relinquishing their parental rights have no clear procedure of how to so do.”
Mitchell said that the Children Care Regulations 2026 will set out the procedures and tools necessary to implement the act effectively.
“The regulations empower the court to make specific orders tailored to the welfare and best interests of the child, thereby strengthening judicial responsiveness and flexibility.”
She said the regulations will establish a register of approved foster parents and introduce a standardised application and assessment process for foster care.
“This ensures that foster placements are properly regulated and aligned with child safeguarding standards,” the attorney general said.
She informed the court that the regulations will be shared with the members of the legal profession for feedback in coming weeks.
“This Government shall embrace, wherever possible, engagement and feedback from key stakeholders – as it is the persons operating within the relevant field who best understand its challenges and needs,” Mitchell said, adding, “I was advised by someone very wise: never be afraid to consult.”
On law reform and legal education, Mitchell said that the Attorney General’s Chambers stands ready to work together with the Bar Association on law reform.
“In addition, we are keen to partner with the Bar Association and the Ministry of Education on legal education. We are keen to ensure that more is done so that citizens understand better their rights.”
She noted the contribution of the late senior counsel Parnel Campbell, who used his programme “The Law and You” to explain the law to the public.
“I do not expect any one person to emerge to take on such a mammoth task, but I think together we can work to ensure that greater outreach takes place,” Mitchell said.
She said that the Registrar of the High Court has successfully advocated for and received preliminary approval for resources to be dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of mediation as an important tool for conflict resolution.
The attorney general told the court that there is an anomaly in that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has two domestic company registries.
“It is our aim to work towards streamlining these two registries. We will also aim to ensure that standards are uniform across registries,” Mitchell said, adding that strong institutions such as commercial registries support a strong investment climate and economic growth.
“We will ensure that amendments are made to the Companies Act to reduce the high penalties which are not in keeping with penalties in other jurisdictions in the region, and which are a deterrent to doing business in SVG,” she said.
A citizens of advice bureau will be very helpful.