diff --git a/.jshintrc b/.jshintrc
index f9df9b9..e005239 100644
--- a/.jshintrc
+++ b/.jshintrc
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
   "node": true,
   "curly": true,
   "eqeqeq": true,
+  "esversion": 6,
   "freeze": true,
   "immed": true,
   "indent": 2,
diff --git a/Document.js b/Document.js
index 046654a..17d0bf1 100644
--- a/Document.js
+++ b/Document.js
@@ -6,6 +6,24 @@ var valid = require('./util/valid');
 var transform = require('./util/transform');
 var _ = require('lodash');
 
+const addressFields = ['name', 'number', 'street', 'zip'];
+
+const parentFields = [
+  'continent',
+  'country',
+  'dependency',
+  'macroregion',
+  'region',
+  'macrocounty',
+  'county',
+  'borough',
+  'locality',
+  'localadmin',
+  'macrohood',
+  'neighbourhood',
+  'postalcode'
+];
+
 function Document( source, layer, source_id ){
   this.name = {};
   this.phrase = {};
@@ -15,8 +33,10 @@ function Document( source, layer, source_id ){
   this.category = [];
 
   // initialize 'parent' fields to empty arrays
-  Document.parentFields.forEach( function(field){
+  parentFields.forEach( (field) => {
     this.parent[field] = [];
+    this.parent[`${field}_a`] = [];
+    this.parent[`${field}_id`] = [];
   }, this);
 
   // create a non-enumerable property for metadata
@@ -207,7 +227,7 @@ Document.prototype.clearParent = function(field) {
 // address
 Document.prototype.setAddress = function ( prop, val ){
   return model.setChild( 'address_parts' )
-    .validate( valid.property( Document.addressFields ) )
+    .validate( valid.property( addressFields ) )
     .validate( valid.type('string') )
     .validate( valid.truthy() )
     .call( this, prop, val );
@@ -298,22 +318,14 @@ Document.prototype.setBoundingBox = model.set( 'bounding_box' )
 // marshal the internal bounding_box back into the representation the caller supplied
 Document.prototype.getBoundingBox = model.get('bounding_box');
 
-Document.addressFields = ['name', 'number', 'street', 'zip'];
-
-Document.parentFields = [
-  'continent',     'continent_a',     'continent_id',
-  'country',       'country_a',       'country_id',
-  'dependency',    'dependency_a',    'dependency_id',
-  'macroregion',   'macroregion_a',   'macroregion_id',
-  'region',        'region_a',        'region_id',
-  'macrocounty',   'macrocounty_a',   'macrocounty_id',
-  'county',        'county_a',        'county_id',
-  'borough',       'borough_a',       'borough_id',
-  'locality',      'locality_a',      'locality_id',
-  'localadmin',    'localadmin_a',    'localadmin_id',
-  'neighbourhood', 'neighbourhood_a', 'neighbourhood_id',
-  'postalcode',    'postalcode_a',    'postalcode_id'
-];
+Document.prototype.isSupportedParent = (placetype) => {
+  return parentFields.indexOf(placetype) !== -1;
+};
+
+// return a clone so it's immutable
+Document.prototype.getParentFields = () => {
+  return _.cloneDeep(parentFields);
+};
 
 // export
 module.exports = Document;
diff --git a/test/Document.js b/test/Document.js
index e338f60..9733d50 100644
--- a/test/Document.js
+++ b/test/Document.js
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 var Document = require('../Document');
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ module.exports.tests.constructor = function(test) {
 
     // initialize 'parent' fields to empty arrays
     t.equal(typeof doc.parent, 'object', 'initial value');
-    Document.parentFields.forEach( function(field){
+    doc.getParentFields().forEach( function(field){
       t.true(Array.isArray(doc.parent[field]), 'initial value');
     });
 
@@ -74,6 +73,69 @@ module.exports.tests.clearParent = function(test) {
   });
 };
 
+module.exports.tests.parent_types = (test) => {
+  test('supported WOF placetypes should return true', (t) => {
+    const doc = new Document('mysource', 'mylayer', 'myid');
+
+    t.deepEquals(doc.getParentFields(), [
+      'continent',
+      'country',
+      'dependency',
+      'macroregion',
+      'region',
+      'macrocounty',
+      'county',
+      'borough',
+      'locality',
+      'localadmin',
+      'macrohood',
+      'neighbourhood',
+      'postalcode'
+    ]);
+
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('supported WOF placetypes should return true', (t) => {
+    const doc = new Document('mysource', 'mylayer', 'myid');
+
+    doc.getParentFields().forEach((type) => {
+      t.ok(doc.isSupportedParent(type), `${type} should be supported`);
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('abbreviation and id names for WOF placetypes should return false', (t) => {
+    const doc = new Document('mysource', 'mylayer', 'myid');
+
+    // this verifies that _a and _id parents aren't supported
+    doc.getParentFields().forEach((type) => {
+      t.notOk(doc.isSupportedParent(`${type}_a`), `${type}_a should not be supported`);
+      t.notOk(doc.isSupportedParent(`${type}_id`), `${type}_id should not be supported`);
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('non-WOF placetype arguments should return false', (t) => {
+    const doc = new Document('mysource', 'mylayer', 'myid');
+
+    const placetype = 'unsupported placetype';
+
+    // push a new placetype to show that it's a clone of the internal list
+    doc.getParentFields().push(placetype);
+
+    t.notOk(doc.isSupportedParent(placetype), 'should be false');
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+};
+
 module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {
 
   function test(name, testFunction) {
diff --git a/test/serialize/test.js b/test/serialize/test.js
index 53eda82..4770bb1 100644
--- a/test/serialize/test.js
+++ b/test/serialize/test.js
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ module.exports.tests.minimal = function(test) {
         'macroregion': [],
         'macroregion_a': [],
         'macroregion_id': [],
+        'macrohood': [],
+        'macrohood_a': [],
+        'macrohood_id': [],
         'neighbourhood': [],
         'neighbourhood_a': [],
         'neighbourhood_id': [],
@@ -160,6 +163,9 @@ module.exports.tests.complete = function(test) {
         'macroregion': [],
         'macroregion_a': [],
         'macroregion_id': [],
+        'macrohood': [],
+        'macrohood_a': [],
+        'macrohood_id': [],
         'neighbourhood': ['Shoreditch'],
         'neighbourhood_a': [null],
         'neighbourhood_id': ['2002'],