A senior child welfare professional and experienced expert witness in matters involving institutional child abuse, child protection practice, and out-of-home care.

I’m currently available for referrals relating to abuse law or other relevant areas of practice including from plaintiffs and defendants in civil matters.

Based in Melbourne, I am available to work across jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand, including travel as required.

To discuss your matter (no obligation) please call 0466 465 421.

There are no silly questions!

Alternatively, inquiries and letters of instruction may be sent directly to josh@drjoshfergeus.com

Am I right for your matter?

There are a number of common reasons my opinion is sought. These include:

  • 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 it is generally necessary to consider accepted contemporaneous practice, jurisdictional context, and the evolution of research and the established evidence base pertaining to child abuse, child protection and child welfare.

How I add value

  • Credibility: decades of relevant professional practice and a distinguished academic record

  • Clarity: able to explain complex issues on the page and in the room in a way that judges, juries and lawyers can understand

  • Neutrality: honest, well-reasoned opinions supported by established evidence

I am reliable and responsive, and always stick to deadline.

I am regularly briefed by firms including Slater & Gordon, Maurice Blackburn, Arnold Thomas & Becker, Angela Sdrinis Legal, Shine Lawyers, Lewis Holdway Lawyers, and The Firm Law Group.

Recent matters include:

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2026 (SA/VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (SA)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (NSW/VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (TAS)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2026 (VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (TAS)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (TAS)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (TAS/VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (QLD/VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (TAS)

  • Failure to protect, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect/institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect/institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (TAS)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2025 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2024 (NSW)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2024 (TAS)

  • Institutional sexual abuse, 2024 (VIC)

  • Institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2024 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2023 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect, 2023 (VIC)

  • Institutional emotional/physical/sexual abuse, 2023 (VIC)

  • Failure to protect/institutional physical/sexual abuse, 2022 (VIC)

Professional experience

I completed my PhD at the University of Melbourne. My thesis focused on the mental health of children in foster and kinship care.

I am a published academic author with expertise in out-of-home care.

I have 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.

I am 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. I am also a sitting Member of Victoria’s Mental Health Tribunal.

I am 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. I am a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course (GAICD).

I 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 I ran the Victorian Foster Care Recruitment Project, statewide Kinship Care Network, and managed the state’s Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy. I contributed as an author or lead author on a number of influential publications at the time of the Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry.

I am 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).

I 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.

I 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.

I am a former foster carer in the State of Victoria. My mother became an accredited foster carer during my childhood and for many years I lived as part of a fostering family.

I hold additional degrees including Master of Social Work, Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Arts.

I have been a Chief Executive Officer of social service organisations since 2013.

Find me on LinkedIn here.