Coates

Coates, David. A Liberal Tool Kit: Progressive Responses to Conservative Arguments. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. Print.

                        David Coates seeks to refute the arguments that have become the mainstay of Conservative arguments on a wide number of issues ranging from religion, to the war in Iraq. For our purposes, however, the principal area of interest is his views regarding the welfare of children. Coates argues against state orchestration of marriages, citing the inability of the 1996 reform to reduce out-of-wedlock births by any significant scale. He reasons, therefore, that licensing or state influence has no resounding effect and as such is ill advised.

Cutas, Daniela. Families: Beyond the Nuclear Ideal. Bloomsbury: A&C Black Press, 2012. Print.

                        Daniela Cutas examines the different criticisms to levelled against the relationships and family forms that challenge the nuclear family ideal. Cutas, after careful examination of what these other forms have to offer, comes back to the conclusion that nuclear families are the best establishment for raising a family. While he does not disqualify the other forms as illegitimate, she maintains that the nuclear family is the ideal and argues for the Welfare Reform Act (2009) saying it would afford children protection.

Herring, Jonathan. Great Debates in Family Law. Michigan: Macmillan, 2004. Print.

                        Jonathan Herring presents both sides of the argument on legislative control of parenting. Herring points to the view that both parents are equally responsible for the welfare of the child, and that the legal system should exercise no legislative control over parenting.

Noddings, Nel. Starting Home: Caring and Social Policy. California: University of California Press, 2002. Print.

                        Nel Noddings touches on the prevailing social theories and their effect on the practice of social welfare. Noddings advances that developmental theories will benefit from the inclusion of a moral development, value connectedness, and caring for other people. He points to the failures in parenting as being, at least in part due to establishing such a moral perspective and defining what competent parenting entails.

Tittle, Peg. Should Parents be Licensed?: Debating the Issues. Michigan: Prometheus Books, 2004. Print.

                        Peg Tittle advances the view that parenthood is the most natural and human of qualities. She advances that while procreation is the most natural part of life, some level of forethought and planning should be undertaken prior to parenthood. All the same, she advances that there should be no laws to govern parenthood, even where there is no planning as this would be tantamount to legislating breathing.

Westman, Jack. Licensing Parents: Can We Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect? New York: Da Capo Press, 2007. Print

Jack Westman argues for the specific role of licensing in the protection of child welfare. He addresses the correlation between poverty, unemployment, and other socio-economic issues to proficient parenting. He advances that legislation would serve to check the effects of poor parenting and lead to cases where the welfare of the child is made important.