Dr Paul Gray is a Wiradjuri man from NSW and leads the Indigenous child protection hub at the University of Technology Sydney Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research. This work is focused on working closely with First Nations and their organisations to critically examine and reimagine contemporary child protection systems and practice, elevating First Nations voices, and building evidence for First Nations approaches. It is well established that contemporary child protection systems need to be transformed. The child protection hub’s program of work supports communities to develop alternative approaches and advocate for transformational reform to systems and practice to address entrenched inequities and improve outcomes for First Nations children, families and communities.

Since 2007, Paul has worked in a range of roles focused on the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people. He has worked as a psychologist and in policy and project roles with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, and served as the Executive Leader of Strategy, Policy and Evidence at AbSec (NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation), the Aboriginal child protection peak organisation in NSW. In this role, Paul led the development of Aboriginal community-led child protection systems, policies and practice, including a holistic, community-led service system and community-led commissioning framework, and the Aboriginal Case Management Policy. This work continues at the hub through research grants and commissioned projects to support the realisation of community aspirations in child welfare.

Paul serves as co-chair of the Family Matters National Leadership Group, a national campaign to end the over-representation of First Nations children in out-of-home care, and is a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Working Group of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children. He is also working to develop a First Nations child protection research network bringing together researchers and students, and is a member of the leadership group of the Safest Start Initiative which focuses on improving child protection practice for infants and families. Paul is also a member of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW Human Research Ethics Committee. Paul completed a DPhil in Experimental Psychology at St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, as an inaugural Charles Perkins Scholar.