An adoption order is an order giving parental responsibility for a child to the adopters, made on their application by an authorised court.
The order does not affect parental responsibility so far as it relates to any period before the making of the order.
The making of an adoption order operates to extinguish—
(a) the parental responsibility which any person has for the child immediately before the making of the order;
(aa) any order under the Children Act 1989
(b) any duty arising by virtue of an agreement or the order of a court to make payments, so far as the payments are in respect of the child’s maintenance or upbringing for any period after the making of the order.
Subsection (3)(b) does not apply to a duty arising by virtue of an agreement—
(a) which constitutes a trust, or
(b) which expressly provides that the duty is not to be extinguished by the making of an adoption order.
An adoption order may not be made in relation to a child who is or has been married.
An adoption order may contain such terms and conditions as the court thinks fit.
An adoption order may be made notwithstanding that the child is already an adopted child.