Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T19:52:08.738Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Parental licensing: an Australian perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2019

Frank Ainsworth*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work and Community Welfare, James Cook University, Townsville Campus, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Frank Ainsworth, Email: frankainsworth@hotmail.com

Abstract

Parental 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.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adoptees Looking for Birth Parents or Siblings (2018). Retrieved from http://facebook.com/AdopteesLookingForBirthParentsOrSiblings/. Accessed 21 June.Google Scholar
Ainsworth, F., & Hansen, P. (2012). Doing harm while doing good: The child protection paradox. Child and Youth Services, 33(2), 146157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainsworth, F., & Hansen, P. (2016). Establishing adoption as a route out of care in NSW: A Commentary. Children Australia, 41(3), 232236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ainsworth, F., & Hansen, P. (2017). A study of section 106A of the NSW children and young persons (care and protection) act 1998 in the New South Wales children’s court. Children Australia, 42(3), 198204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, E. (1990). Is women’s labour a commodity? Philosophy and Public Affairs, 19(1), 7192.Google ScholarPubMed
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2018a). Adoptions Australia 2017-18.Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2018b). Child Protection Australia 2016-17. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019). Child Protection Australia 2017-18. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Google Scholar
Ayers-Lopez, S. A., Henney, S. M., McRoy, R. G., Hanna, M. D., & Grotevant, H. D. (2018). Openness in adoption and the impact on birth mother plans for search and reunion. Families in Society, 98(4), 551561.Google Scholar
Barry, C., & Leland, R. J. (2017). Do parental licensing schemes violate the rights of biological parents? Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 94(3), 755762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berry, M. (1993). Risk and benefits of open adoption. The Future of Children, 3(1), 125138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracanovic, T. (2019). Parental licensing meets evolutionary psychology. Ethical Perspectives, 19(9), 207233.Google Scholar
Burns, K., Poso, T., & Skivenes, M. (Eds.) (2017). Child welfare removals by the state. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, A. (2014). Libertarianism and parental licensing. Bleeding Hearts Libertarians. Retrieved from https://bleedingheartslibertarians.com2014/07/libertarianism-and-parental-licensing/ Google Scholar
Cohen, A. (2017). The harm principle and parental licensing in advance. Social Theory and Practice, 43(4), 825849. doi: 10.5840/soctheorpract201711124 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curtis, R., & Pearson, F. (2010). Contact with birth parents: differential psychological adjustment for adults adopted as infants. Journal of Social Work, 10(4), 347–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department for Education (2013). Further action on adoption: Finding more loving homes. London: Department for Education.Google Scholar
Gibson, M. (2019). Pride and shame in child and family social work. Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Habiger, M. (2001). License for parenting? Retrieved from http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/hab/hab_04parenting.html Google Scholar
LaFollette, H. (1980). Licensing parents. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 9(2), 182197.Google Scholar
LaFollette, H. (2010). Licensing parents revisited. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 27(4), 327343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laulik, S., Chou, S., Browne, K. D., & Allam, J. (2013). The link between personality disorder and parenting behaviour. A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 1(6), 644655.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liao, S. M. (2015). The right to be loved. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liao, S. M. (2017). Right holding, demandingness of love, and parental rights. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 94(3), 762769.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lykken, D. (1998). The case for parental licensure. In Millon, T., Simonsen, E., Smith, V. & Davis, R. D.. Psychopathy: Antisocial, criminal and violent behaviour. New York: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Mangel, C. P. (1988). Licensing parents: How feasible? Family Law Quarterly, 22(1), 1739.Google Scholar
Mills, J. S. (1978). On liberty. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing.Google Scholar
Murphy, S., Orkow, B., Ray, M., & Nicola, R. M. (1985). Prenatal prediction of child abuse and neglect: A prospective study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9(2), 225235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neil, E., Beek, M., & Ward, E. (2015). Contact after adoption. London: Coram/BAAF.Google Scholar
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.Google Scholar
NSW Department of Family and Community Services (2018). NSW achieves record out-of-home care adoptions. Media release June 5.Google Scholar
Orkow, B. (1985). Implementation of a family stress checklist. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9(3), 405410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peters, R., & Barlow, J. (2003). Systematic review of instruments designed to predict child maltreatment during the antenatal and prenatal periods. Child Abuse Review, 12, 416439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Productivity Commission (2019). Report on Government Services 2017-18. Canberra: Productivity Commission.Google Scholar
Pusic, B. (2016). A non-ethical argument against parental licensing. Pro-Fil, 17(1), 215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schofield, G., Moldestad, B., Hojer, L., Ward, E., Skilbred, D., & Young, J. (2010). Managing loss and threatened identity. Experience of parents of children growing up in foster care. The perspectives of social workers and implications for practice. British Journal of Social Work, 40(5), 119.Google Scholar
Stuck, A. R. (2009). Licensed to parent? Should parenting require a license? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stuck/200906/licensed-parent Google Scholar
3 free ways to search for your birth parents. Retrieved from https://adopteessearch.com/3-free-ways-search-birth-parents/ Google Scholar
US Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Children’s Bureau (2018). The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report - no. 25. Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.Google Scholar
US Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Children’s Bureau (2019). Child Maltreatment 2017. Table 2 - 1 Screened-in and screened out 2017. Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.Google Scholar