Challenging situations in child and family social work: a pilot survey to inform VR training

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in social work education, yet most studies focus on students rather than practitioners, who are better placed to identify which real-world challenges warrant simulation. This pilot online survey of practitioners in England (n = 48) identified diverse types and content of challenging situations and explored views on how VR could support preparation. Respondents reported experiencing on average 14 challenging situations per year, most commonly feeling unprepared or unsure how to act. Of these, about 3 per year involved fear, threats or physical violence. Frequencies varied by region, organisational setting, age and years of experience. The most memorable incidents centred on immediate threats to life or aggression during home visits to households with known domestic violence risk. Practitioners often felt unprepared for such events, and 79.2% judged VR to be effective as a training tool for preparing to handle such situations. Perceived effectiveness positively correlated with greater exposure to challenging events. Participants acknowledged the potential benefits of VR applications including realistic scenario modelling, de-escalation and safe-exit procedures, and communication skills training, as well as case-based simulations and theory-to-practice translation. These findings offer initial insights to guide further practitioner-centred research and the next stage of VR training development.