Katie is angry after a social worker's visit, following concerns of neglect from her child's school. She feels they're interfering and asking overly personal questions, comparing herself to other mums.
Using NICE guidance in social work: scenarios
We've produced a number of example scenarios featuring fictional situations and people
They can help social workers understand how to put our guidelines and quality standards into practice.
About NICE guidelines and quality standards
Our guidelines focus on a particular topic or setting and provide a comprehensive set of recommendations for action.
Our quality standards focus on areas of variation in practice and can be used to measure improvement or demonstrate good quality.
We've also produced example scenarios for principal social workers (PSWs).
Example scenarios
These example scenarios feature fictional situations and people. They show how NICE guidance could be used in social work practice.
Families and relationships settings
Chloe, 14, is hospitalised after taking an overdose. Her dad Jakob, who works nights and relies on public transport, complains about not being involved in her care planning since being admitted.
Farzana is 13 and blind with moderate learning disability and is experiencing depression after father's death. Her mum, Shazia is overwhelmed as she also cares for her own mother who has dementia.
Mental health services
Alice is 14, with mental health issues. She lives with her dad and has regular breaks in a residential children’s home. The home have reported incidents to her dad. Alice is upset she can't call him afterward, feeling isolated and distressed by the restriction.
A team leader of an integrated mental health team has identified that young men referred to their service with both mental health and substance use issues are twice as likely to stop attending appointments.
Joanne has a moderate learning disability and has experienced psychotic episodes. She has been admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit. After being discharged, she and her family are worried that it might happen again.
Learning disability settings
Raphael, 10, has a severe learning disability and autism. He frequently hurts himself and needs one-to-one support from his parents. They don’t know what they should do when he becomes distressed and hurts himself.
William, 53, has Down’s syndrome and a mild learning disability. He lives with his elderly mother, Elsie. She is worried about how William will cope when she dies. William wants to continue living in the family home.
Rainey has a moderate learning disability and was recently diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. She may only have up to 2 weeks to live. Rainey is frightened of dying and wants to leave hospital as soon as possible.
Services for older people
A hospital social worker is feeling pressured to discharge people to care homes when they may not have the capacity to make a decision about where they live. The social worker feels this may conflict with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Adio enjoys meeting his friends at a local Jamaican café, where he eats his main meal of the day. However since having a stroke he lacks the confidence to leave the house. His daughter has noticed that he has lost weight and that he seems depressed.
A practice educator asks a first year social work student to write a critical reflection on how they review care and support for older people in care homes. The student knows that wellbeing is key to the Care Act 2014, but is struggling to understand what this means in practice.