Provisions within the Adoption & Children (Scotland) Act 2007 will be enacted on 28 September, meaning councils will no longer be restricted to married couples and single people when recruiting foster carers and adopters.
Among those to welcome the legal change is the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
Barbara Hudson, BAAF Scotland's director, said: "By allowing unmarried couples to adopt, the act has increased the number of potential parents ready to provide a new home for a child who cannot grow up with their own family."
She said that the changes also put the child at the centre of the fostering and adoption process, rather than getting "hung up on" the marital status of those looking to care for children.
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