Social Work and Social Services Section

Social workers and social service workers are part of multidisciplinary teams that manage epilepsy. Their work involves promoting awareness and treatment, as well as research and advocacy. The Social Work and Social Services Section will work to promote involvement of social workers and social service workers from all nations in the care of people with epilepsy and in the work of the ILAE.

What are the aims of the Social Work and Social Services Section?

• Develop a communication platform and resource for social workers working in the area of epilepsy
• Assess the learning and practice needs of social workers worldwide
• Develop standardized social work education curricula that can be tailored to individual regions and practice settings
• Promote social worker participation in ILAE councils, committees, task forces and commissions
• Promote social worker participation in education of health care professionals and the public
• Facilitate communication, knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking, among social work and neurology/epilepsy professionals worldwide
• Mentor students and junior social services professionals
• Support other ILAE sections
• Provide social science research expertise to research teams, including ethics, data collection, analysis and reporting
• Provide social science evaluation expertise to the ILAE and its councils, committees, taskforces, and commissions

Who can be part of the Social Work and Social Services Section?

The section welcomes the following professionals from any part of the world to participate:

• Social workers
• Counsellors
• Community workers
• Social scientists
• Social service professionals
• Human service workers

Participants should be ILAE chapter members and ILAE international affiliates. If you are interested but are not connected with a chapter or an affiliate, please contact us for assistance in becoming a member.

There are no dues for joining the section.

To join the Social Work and Social Services Section, please complete the registration form. 

Rights and responsibilities of participants

Each participant is eligible to hold office of the section, to nominate or vote in elections, or to appoint by writing one voting representative to cast the participant’s vote.

Benefits of participation

The benefits of joining this section include international networking for advocacy, opportunities for training in epilepsy related issues, and collaborating in research projects. You will also get an opportunity to work with the ILAE chapter in your country or help form a chapter if one does not yet exist.

Leadership

Rugare Mugumbate, RegSW, Zimbabwe League Against Epilepsy and Epilepsy Resource Centre (Zimbabwe); Social Work Lecturer, University of Wollongong (Australia)

Chris Ryan, LICSW, Clinical Social Worker, Division of Epilepsy & Clinical Neurophysiology, Boston Children's Hospital (USA)