While the State Election is over, our campaign to Save Foster Care is not! We’ve so loved working with you all to advocate for improvements to Victoria’s foster care system, and we want to make sure we continue to provide you with what you need to continue fighting for the best outcomes for the children and young people in your care. To this end we’ve compiled a list of new MPs who are joining the Parliament. We think they need to hear from you about your experience as a foster carer, or about your support for foster carers in your community. You can also write to Premier at: [email protected] or Premier Daniel Andrews, Office of the Premier, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne, Victoria You may wish to ask the Premier and your new MPs to give serious consideration to:

• Increasing foster care reimbursements to meet the day-to-day costs of caring for children over this term of government;

• A thorough assessment of the management of expenses for children and young people in Government care;

• Expanding the Circle Program to ensure that all children in foster care are receiving therapeutic, evidence-based models of care;

• Re-initiating a constant, consistent state-wide recruitment and retention strategy for foster carers;

• Developing and implementing a comprehensive learning and development strategy for foster carers;

• Lobbying the Commonwealth for the removal of income testing for foster carers. If you’re not sure if any of these MPs represent you, you can look up your electorate at the Victorian Electoral Commission website.

Lizzie Blandthorn (Labor, Pascoe Vale) Stephanie Ryan (Nationals, Euroa) (Liberals, Ripon) (Nationals, Lowan) (Labor, Geelong) Vicky Ward (Labor, Eltham) (Labor, Yuroke) Brian Paynter (Liberal, Bass) (Labor, Bentleigh) (Labor, Carrum) (Labor, Dandenong) Danny Pearson (Labor, Essendon) John Pesutto (Liberal, Hawthorn) Tim Smith (Liberal, Kew) (Greens, Melbourne) Mary-Anne Thomas (Labor, Macedon) Tim Richardson (Labor, Mordialloc) (Labor, Oakleigh) (Independent, ) (Labor, Sunbury)