(a) An interested person may file a petition under this part for an order or judgment declaring a child free from the custody and control of either or both parents.
(b) For purposes of this section, an “interested person” is one who has a direct interest in the action, and includes, but is not limited to, a person who has filed, or who intends to file within a period of 6 months, an adoption petition under Section 8714, 8802, or 9000, or a licensed adoption agency to whom the child has been relinquished by the other parent.