Councils must guarantee that care leavers have somewhere safe to live and ensure they have access to support services such as health and education.
They must also provide "appropriate support" with care leavers' income.
The Scottish Executive has provided 10m funding to help councils meet the duties.
Ruth Stark, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers in Scotland, said: "In some places there has been some really good practice in helping young people move into independent living but in others it hasn't been so good."
If a young person is dissatisfied with a local authority they will be able to sort out their dispute through a quick appeals process.
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