Business Elite Awards 2025 / 32 SME News Q4 2025/ 32 VR Films Highlighting the Impact of Trauma on Children Anyone who has ever put on a VR headset will tell of how realistic what they saw was, making this immersive technology perfect for driving meaningful change and support by showing films that offer a first-person view of trauma in children and young people from across an array of diverse backgrounds. From its location on Colmore Row, Birmingham, this is exactly what Cornerstone VR achieves. Recognised as the Most Impactful VR Training Experience Provider 2025 – UK, Cornerstone VR’s own Corinna Leaning caught up with us for more. Part of the Anster Group, Cornerstone VR was founded in 2015, created by an adoptive parent who envisioned a better, more empathetic approach to adoption and fostering services in the UK. After she had witnessed the remarkable impact that the VR technology had on those with Alzheimer’s, she saw a unique opportunity to do the same for children in care. It is from this seed that the company has today blossomed into one of the most innovative and impactful training providers in the UK. Creating VR films designed to help everyone from adoptive parents and social workers to teachers and judges understand the impact of attachment-related trauma on a child, Cornerstone VR is unique in the sense that it puts the viewer in the shoes of the child, allowing them to witness and understand the experiences and emotions of these individuals in a way once thought impossible. The rawness of such viewing opens people’s eyes to the hardships these vulnerable children face. “Our approach builds empathy, strengthens trauma-informed practice, and equips professionals with effective insight and tools for training and intervention, all whilst supporting young people to spot and navigate risks, open dialogue with trusted adults, and promote early intervention.” Across the more than 60 films comprising its immersive, 360-degree library, the full scope of a child’s experience is covered, ranging from pre-birth to adolescence and tackling very real issues including abuse, trauma, neglect, exploitation, the impact of social media, knife crime, and youth violence. This content is co-created alongside the police, educators, youth justice teams, social care professionals, and – crucially – young people themselves. Feedback from those who have viewed these trauma-informed VR learning films highlights the impact of this style of learning over traditional methods, both for young people and adults. The measurable impact had has positioned Cornerstone VR as a leader when it comes to trauma-informed, tech-for-good innovation, seen through 96% of the latter group reporting they gained a deeper understanding of young people’s perspectives as a result. What makes the trauma-informed VR learning offered by Cornerstone VR so impactful is that it tackles real issues that the police and other such service providers in this world are seeing on a daily basis. Nowhere is this more prevalent than through the ‘Knife Crime and Serious Youth Violence VR Film Series’ recently developed by the team, this in collaboration with a number of local authorities. These films span a number of real-life scenarios, from being threatened with a knife to the domino effect of violence on family and friends. Vulnerable children and families alike were shown these films, which helped drive emotional connections with the reality of knife crime. The goal was to change how young people feel about carrying a knife and understand the risks and consequences of doing so, and with 100% of those surveyed saying they would now dissuade friends from carrying a knife, and 83% feeling deterred from carrying a knife themselves, the success of the films is apparent. Impact was nurtured further as a result of the films being implemented across the learning programmes of Our Pain 2 Power, a youth organisation aligned with the goals of Cornerstone VR. Marked improvements across its service have been seen as a result, with participation engagement, emotional development, and constructive behavioural shifts all on the up. Outcomes such as this make all of it worthwhile. On the back of this, Corinna added: “What drives us every day is hearing about the real-world impact of our work: parents adapting their parenting styles, schools changing how they support pupils, and professionals approaching complex situations with greater empathy and understanding. These moments of positive change affirm our belief in the power of immersive technology to transform lives and inspire meaningful impact.” Doubling down on its provision of VR for schools and the post-16 group going forwards, the future for Cornerstone VR is all about showing how the power of this technology can aid in prevention as well as awareness, not to mention make learning more immersive for young people and professionals alike. With this in mind, it is our absolute pleasure to both recognise Cornerstone VR as the Most Impactful VR Training Experience Provider 2025 – UK in this programme and urge readers to follow the link below. Contact: Corinna Leaning Company: Cornerstone VR Web Address: https://www.cornerstonevr.co.uk/
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