An extremely important piece of legislation passed in 2004 that was developed in response to calls from carers for greater recognition and consideration by service providers and gave carers a real voice for the first time.​

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The act aims to change the way we think about and engage with carers, by including carers as partners in care and acknowledging the knowledge and insight about a person with care needs, they can bring to the table.​

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Previously some carers were frustrated in their dealings with health and community professionals as they felt ignored, dismissed and excluded in conversations surrounding care and treatment plans for the person they care for – even though the decisions being made were directly impacting them as they were in many cases expected to implement those plans within the home.