The provision of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, that comes in this September, will mean that same sex couples can apply to adopt as a couple for the first time.
Currently only one partner of a same sex couple can apply.
At the same time the Regulations and Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 comes into effect. This compels councils to consider children in care's long-term needs regarding placement at an early stage.
Councils will also be required to carry out ongoing reviews to ensure placement stability and that the option of placing a child with extended family members and friends is explored.
The forthcoming legal changes have been welcomed by the Fostering Network's Scotland director Sara Lurie.
She said: "We welcome the opportunities this will present to give children who are looked-after more security as they grow up. We also welcome the positive moves to increase the range of people who may adopt or foster recognising that there are significant shortfalls in the numbers of foster carers across Scotland."
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