THE 4th Annual International Safeguarding Children Conference, scheduled for May 17 and 18 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, will be opened by State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth & Information Floyd Green.

The minister will bring the keynote address on day one of the conference, being hosted by United Kingdom-based social work company, One Step Forward Consultancy, in collaboration with Youth Organisation Undertaking National Growth (YOUNG, UK/JA), and endorsed by the British High Commission.

This year the conference is being held under the theme “Let’s Build the Legacy, Your Legacy is Every Life You Touch”.

CEO of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), formerly the Child Development Agency and Office of the Children’s Registry), Rosalee Gage-Grey; children’s advocate Betty-Ann Blaine of Hear the Children’s Cry; former head of the CPFSA Carla Francis Edie; Professor Henk Paramentier of the World Organisation of Family Doctors; UK-based Khori Hyde of YOUNG; United States-based psychotherapist Celeste H Hutchinson; Marie Berbick, founder of Sisters Uplifted through Prayer, Healing, Empowerment and Restoration (SUPHER); and Marcia James, director/mentor at SUPHER, are among speakers confirmed for the event.

Organisers said welterweight boxing champion Sakima Mullings is also back on board with the conference, through his foundation for at-risk youth. He will be hosting boxing workshops as part of a joint outreach intervention programme.

“Whatever we do through our individivual and collective efforts, will impact the legacy that we leave for our children, so we are collaborating with all stakeholders who can help to build a lasting and positive legacy that safeguards the interest of our children,” Director of One Step Forward Consultancy Patricia McKenzie-Thomas said.

McKenzie-Thomas noted that the topics to be highlighted at this year’s conference cover safeguarding in health, education, training and development. Target audience, she said, include social workers and social work managers, parents, foster parents, probation officers, teachers, child guidance officers, legal advisors and police officers.

“We are grateful for the support of our key partners, including the CPFSA, and the various social service agencies. We are now issuing a call for corporate Jamaica to take a more serious look at the role they can play in safeguarding children and supporting this event as part of their corporate social responsibility programme. Please contact us to play a more active role and integrate your community outreach programmes with the work we are doing. There is strength in numbers; let us do this together,” McKenzie-Thomas said.