Parental responsibility is defined as all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property.

Maddersons are often approached by step-parents wanting to adopt a child or children following re-marriage.

Parents are often surprised to learn that in order for their new partner to adopt their child or children the birth mother must also adopt her own child, otherwise the effect of an adoption order would be to extinguish the existing rights of the mother.