The Carers Association has described an Oireachtas committee report as a landmark document.
The report by the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs has made 15 recommendations, including the abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance.
Yesterday, the association said the report was a landmark in the development of a co-ordinated policy in an area which effected tens of thousands of families.
It was delighted the report had recognised the value of its policy objectives and had endorsed its call for a shift in emphasis away from institutions and towards support for home-based care.