Specialties & Experience
General Specialties:
Social Work
Specialty Focus:
Child Protection, Historical Child Sexual Assault, Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, Mental Health
Education:
Dr Fergeus was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Social Work) degree by the Schools of Social Work and Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. His thesis was completed partially by publication and focused on the impact of carers on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in out of home care. He was also awarded the following degrees: Master of Social Work (Monash University), Bachelor of Teaching (Deakin University) and Bachelor of Arts (Deakin University).
Years in Practice:
4
Number of cases in the last 4 years:
37
Additional Information
His opinion is sought by firms around Australia, often to provide:
- analysis of precautions and measures taken or not taken to protect a child or children, including responses to child protection notifications
- consideration of whether a child or children should have reasonably been considered vulnerable or ‘at risk’ at a particular time or under particular circumstances
- analysis of practices and procedures in foster care, kinship care, residential care, family group homes, orphanages, and youth justice facilities
In providing an opinion Dr Fergeus generally considers accepted contemporaneous practice, jurisdictional context, and the evolution of research and the established evidence base pertaining to child abuse, child protection and child welfare.
Dr Fergeus is a published academic author with expertise in out-of-home care. He has taught into the Master of Social Work course at the University of Melbourne, including core subjects for child protection practitioners such as Assessing Risk and Vulnerability, Social Policy for Social Work Practice, Disability in Context, First Nations, and Social Work Theory and Practice.
He is a Member of Victoria’s Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme Panel assessing allegations of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in out-of-home care, and a Child Protection Member of Victoria’s Patient Review Panel, which considers applications under the Assistive Reproductive Technologies Act. He is also a sitting Member of Victoria’s Mental Health Tribunal.
Dr Fergeus is currently the Chair of foster and kinship care provider Anchor, the North-Eastern Montessori School, and aged care and retirement living provider Ashleigh Community, and a Board Director of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course (GAICD).
Dr Fergeus worked in senior roles at the peak body for child and family welfare organisations in Victoria, the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, between 2009-2013. While at the Centre he ran the Victorian Foster Care Recruitment Project, statewide Kinship Care Network, and managed the state’s Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy. He contributed as an author or lead author on a number of influential publications at the time of the Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry.
Dr Fergeus is a former Secretary and President and Acting CEO of the peak body representing Victoria’s foster carers, the Foster Care Association of Victoria (2011-2014). He worked recruiting, training and assessing foster carers from 2006-2009 and was a registered Shared Stories, Shared Lives and Step By Step trainer and assessor.
Dr Fergeus sat on the Fostering and Adoption Panels for Southampton City Council while living in the UK, making a range of child welfare decisions under the relevant legislation.
Dr Fergeus is a former foster carer in the State of Victoria. His mother became an accredited foster carer during his childhood and for many years he lived as part of a fostering family.
Dr Fergeus has been a Chief Executive Officer of social service organisations since 2013.