Who are Cornerstone VR?

The journey of Cornerstone VR began in 2015. Founded by an adoptive parent who envisioned a better, more empathetic approach to adoption and fostering. Witnessing the profound impact of VR content on Alzheimer's care, she saw an opportunity to bring similar innovation to the care, fostering, and adoption sectors.

We soon set about making our own VR films, designed to help adopters, foster carers, social workers, teachers and judges understand the impact of attachment-related trauma on a child.

These films provide a unique perspective on attachment-related trauma. They allow individuals to witness and understand the experiences and emotions of children and young people from adverse backgrounds. From the moment they enter the virtual world, viewers are transported to the earliest stages of development, experiencing the hardships and challenges faced by vulnerable children first-hand.

We take immense pride in our work here at Cornerstone VR, especially when we hear about the positive changes in the lives of young people. Stories of parents adapting their parenting styles or schools deciding to support a child due to our resources are the moments that inspire us the most. These transformations are a testament to the power of understanding and empathy in creating lasting change.

It’s powerful and amazing. The most impactful part for me was a child holding on to a banister, being taken out of their home. It took me back to when I was a social worker in child protection, trying to gently pry a child’s hands from a bollard after a contact visit with their mum. They had a grip of steel and didn’t want to go back to their foster carer.

Clea Newman - Fostering teams manager at Norfolk County Council

Cornerstone VR headsets and films in action at an event.

Our mission.

Proximity is a key driver for empathy.

We are dedicated to ensuring that our VR Programme enables positive change by focusing on the challenges for those working with children, adults and families.

Through using our films, practitioners who work with children, young people and families develop an enhanced understanding and empathy towards vulnerable individuals. This ultimately challenges their own behaviour to better respond in ways that will prevent future trauma and damage.

Together, we believe that our team at Cornerstone VR can create meaningful, long-lasting change to the lives of children and young people.

2,000

Certified VR practitioners across 3 continents and 6 countries.

50%

of local authorities in England work with us.

300

training courses delivered every year.

Why Choose Cornerstone VR?

We believe that if you can change a view, you can change a life.

Change can happen anywhere, which is why our VR programme is available globally. It's also why Cornerstone VR are a trusted partner for organisations who want to make impactful behaviour change that will benefit not only children, young people and families, but the practitioners who work with them.

• We provide a unique lens through which parents, carers, and practitioners can view the lives of young people. This allows them to better comprehend their experiences and connect on a more authentic level.

• We facilitate seamless support and assistance for our partners.

• We deliver meaningful, impactful VR programmes where you are, to the people who need it most.

Serena Hadi, Head of Operations and Practice, at work in the Cornerstone VR headquarters in Birmingham.

Neil Brockhurst, our VR Operations Officer, hard at work at our Cornerstone VR headquarters in Birmingham.

Meet the Cornerstone VR team.

We have a well-seasoned team at the helm who bring a range of experience to our offering.

SERENA HADI

Head of Operations and Practice

Serena brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team, having worked across statutory and independent children’s services.

Social Work England registered, she brings over 10 years’ experience of managing teams within local authorities, engaging stakeholders, quality assuring services and implementing and managing service improvement plans.

ABBY COOKE

VR Service Manager

As a Social Work England registered social worker Abby has over 10 years in Children’s Social Care.

Thanks to her work as an Adoption Team Manager she has a great understanding of the sector and best practice, as well as overseeing the implementation of VR.

Abby works alongside our partners to embed the VR in their service areas.

SHALENE LEMMIE

VR Service Manager

In her role as VR Service Manager at Cornerstone VR, Shalene brings together a deep commitment to addressing the complex issues facing children and families and, crucially, a clear understanding of how best to integrate VR into the care system.

Shalene is also a registered Social Worker, and brings an impressive 15-year focus on Children and Families.

MOHAMMED HUSSAIN

Managing Director

As Managing Director Mohammed’s focus is on growth, leading the business development team, through planning and the strategic delivery of our solutions across the health and social care sectors.

Mohammed has 18 years’ experience in successfully delivering technology-based transformation services across a wide range of sectors.

JEMMA KUEGLER

Training Manager

As Training Manager at Cornerstone Training, Jemma oversees our team of dedicated trainers, providing the successful delivery of our broad range of training programs.

With a focus on customer satisfaction, she ensures the highest standard in training across our In-House, Open and VR-Enabled training offerings.

NEIL BROCKHURST

VR Operations Officer

From a young age, Neil was into gaming, which eventually led him to discover a passion for virtual reality. In 2017 he began running a VR arcade, where he quickly realised the immense potential for VR applications beyond mere entertainment.

Recently, Neil joined the Cornerstone VR team, eager to leverage his expertise and enthusiasm for VR to push the technology in new and exciting directions.

JAMES ORTON

Operations & Communications Officer

Having become interested in ‘lived experience’ during an anthropology degree, James continues to work in areas of interest at Cornerstone VR.

He streamlines the customer processes and interface whilst supporting the use of new technologies across by evaluating the efficacy of VR upon service users.