Abstract
AbstractParental licensing is the idea that parenting competence should be demonstrated prior to adults achieving full parental rights. It is a long-standing idea that is alive among a host of academic philosophers, political scientists and others interested in children’s rights. The question is – is the notion of parental licensing a good idea or is it an extreme authoritarian response to the social problem of child abuse and neglect? The next question is – if parental licensing was in place, who would decide on parental competence, what are the boundaries of competence and how would competence be measured? And what about those adults who are deemed as incompetent? It is worth considering the proposition that, by endorsing the concept of the “best interests of the child” and passing legislation that gives standing to the removal of a child from parental care, by default this constitutes a system of parental licensing.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Sociology and Political Science,Developmental and Educational Psychology,Health(social science)
Reference41 articles.
1. Systematic review of instruments designed to predict child maltreatment during the antenatal and postnatal periods
2. Stuck, A. R. (2009). Licensed to parent? Should parenting require a license? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stuck/200906/licensed-parent
3. NSW Department of Family and Community Services (2018). NSW budget 2018: protecting our kids and building a better future for everyone. Media release. 5 June.
4. Implementation of a family stress checklist