A court can make an Adoption order to enable a child to live permanently with a person who is not his or her biological parent and giving that person all the rights and responsibilities of a parent towards the child. The main Act dealing with adoption in the UK now is the AdoptionandChildrenAct2002 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020038.htm).
UK Adoption Links: http://www.4bc.co.uk/view_links.html?id=147.