Career Development

Charley McIntyre - Support Practitioner 

In 2016 I finished my IT apprenticeship at Dundee University and wasn't successful in gaining further employment.  I wasn't sure where my life was headed, and I became unemployed.

I attended regular appointments at the Job Centre and my work coach there asked me if I was interested in anything other than IT.  Because I had experience in taking care of family members, I said care but I had never had training or qualifications. 

My work coach suggested I try the Prince's Trust (now King’s Trust) as they ran courses with employers for young people who were looking for employment.  I contacted the Prince's Trust, and they had a training program available in partnership with Cornerstone, this included fundamental training, trial shifts in one of the Cornerstone services, a guaranteed interview and possibility of a job at the end of it.   I put myself forward and was accepted on to the course.  This program gave me a chance to try new things, challenge myself and develop my skills.

I was surprised by how many guys were on the course.  I have been working for Cornerstone for 8.5 years now and it’s great to see more and more men coming into the care sector.  Some of the people we support really enjoy having males on their support team as their hobbies and interests are sometimes the same.

During my Cornerstone training I had re-gained part-time employment in the University of Dundee IT department and because of this I choose to start as a relief Support Worker in the Cornerstone Community Support team, as my confidence grew, I started picking up shifts across the Dundee services.  I found my feet in the Victoria Street team, I really enjoyed working there in particular, so I applied for a 20 hours per week contract and have gradually built up to 39 hours.  When I went full-time, I gave up my job at the University to concentrate on my career at Cornerstone.

The thing I enjoy most about my job is working in a bigger service, I support nine individuals with different routines, every day is different and you have to adapt the way you support for each individual as well.  

The most challenging aspect of working in a bigger service is time management, there’s days where you have a lot on, you don’t just provide support, there are finances to complete, and we also update daily notes. 

I would say that my biggest achievement so far would be getting my SVQ3 qualification, I did this at the beginning of Covid-19 and was also working in my IT job at the same time.

I have a positive impact on the people I support, supporting them to achieve their goals is rewarding.  For example one of the men I support had always had trouble with his duvet cover and struggled with making his bed.  I took the time to show him what to do, supported him with it, moved on to just prompting him and now he manages this by himself.  I have also supported individuals on holidays to London and more recently Disneyland Paris.

The training Cornerstone is good and some of it is mandatory to learn.  The training is ongoing as things change and it’s good to refresh your memory of what and how to put it in practice.

 If someone is thinking about working in social care, I would explain that there is a lot of people different kinds of people you can support and different aspects of care.  Here at Cornerstone, we support a variety of people with different support needs.  Everyone is human and as long as you treat the people you support the way you would want to be treated then you’ll have a good experience and connect with some great individuals.

If I was to describe Cornerstone in 3 words, I would say caring, person-centred and rewarding, not just for the individuals I support, but for me too.

Francis Collier - Complex Care Practitioner

I qualified as a dentist in 1978, and for the next 40 years I worked as a dentist in several different roles. 

My first job was as a uniformed Dental Officer in the Royal Air Force, I then joined the Community Dental Service where I enjoyed treating individuals who were housebound using portable equipment or from a mobile dental unit.  After this,  spent 3 years working in a military hospital in Saudi Arabia which enabled me to fund two additional qualifications, allowing me ultimately to gain my registration as a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry, giving me special skills in providing dental care to patients who have difficulty in accepting dental treatment ‘due to a physical, sensory, intellectual, medical, mental, emotional or social impairment or disability’.

My last 10 years were spent working in the Community Services in Aberdeenshire providing care for such patients using a variety of sedation techniques.

I intended to take up a part-time job on my retirement and had previously visited New Deer in my capacity as a dentist.  I had been most impressed by the set up there and when I saw they had jobs available and decided to apply.  The rest, as they say is history.

I joined the New Deer team at Cornerstone in early 2019 as a Support Worker, later designated as a Support Practitioner with a part-time, permanent contract.  My role is to provide one to one support to an adult who has learning disabilities and who is on the autistic spectrum to live in his own home.  I have continued to support the same person throughout.  My post was re-designated as Complex Care Practitioner at the end of 2024.

My support, in combination with my team makes the person we support's life stable and happy.  Our support also ensures he feels valued and well cared for.

I was very interested and surprised to see what a wide range of work backgrounds that colleagues have came from as well as being delighted to see the wide range of ages in the workforce, making my relatively advancing years feel less conspicuous than they might have otherwise.

I enjoy a variety of activities which my post has exposed me to, as well as getting me out and about in the community, thus avoiding my fear of being 'trapped' in a deskbound role.  I like helping the person I support to take part in various activities, making his life more varied and fulfilling. 

At times I have found getting to grips with computerised systems difficult, but thanks to colleague support I have managed to get there in the end.

To be able to move to a new role at my stage of life and settle into a very different pattern of working is an achievement.   They say 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks', but my colleagues at New Deer seem to have done just that!

If anyone is considering a career in social care I suggest they look at the diverse and varied roles which are covered by the description 'social care' and investigate which role might suit them.  Not every role is going to be for everyone, so finding the right 'slot' for you is key.

Three words I would use to describe Cornerstone are welcoming, supportive and generous.  Despite initially turning down the opportunity to be supported to complete my SVQ, I was again offered the chance to take part allowing me to achieve my full SSSC registration.

Chris McLean - Service Lead

I started at Cornerstone in 2011 as a Cafe Assistant in Irvine on a 6-month contract through an employability programme at the Job Centre before moving to Glasgow to attend University. My Branch Leader in Ayrshire mentioned about relief opportunities in Glasgow that would give me the flexibility I needed for my studies, so I applied and became a Support Practitioner. After a year and a half, I had to leave and look after my Grandpa who needed additional support but returned to Cornerstone 6-months later as part-time Support Practitioner alongside my course.

Once my course was complete, I became a full time Support Practitioner with my contract split across Community Support and Community Justice giving me the opportunity to develop new skills and widen my understanding of what Social Care can provide. During this time, Cornerstone Training Academy supported me through my SVQ level 3.

In 2017 I was promoted to Lead Practitioner in Community Support and a Children's Support Project called 'Growing Together'. These roles helped me develop skills such as report writing, bringing on-board new services and rota management, which I really enjoyed. After two years as a Lead Practitioner, I had the opportunity to step up to Service Lead covering Community based services across Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire. Cornerstone supported me through my SVQ level 4 and additional qualifications required to help me in my new role. There are so many opportunities within my role which gives me the variety I enjoy while still having the social engagement with the people we support who are at the centre of everything we do.

If I was to describe Cornerstone in 3 words, they would be 'Progressive, Innovative and Rewarding.'

Miryn McDonald - Payroll Assistant

I left school after completing 6th year in June 2023.  I didn’t get the qualifications that I had hoped for and had found homebased learning really challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I had no idea what career path I wanted to take but carried on in my hospitality job (I had worked there since I was 16).  I knew long term that this wasn’t the career I wanted but I enjoyed working in a team and the customer service side of the job.

In March 2024, I applied for a fixed-term, full-time Administrative Assistant role at Cornerstone and was so happy when I got this job.  

During my 6 months as Administrative Assistant I helped the HR team with processing a backlog of data to their HR system after Cornerstone experienced a cyber-attack.  This job involved lots of attention to detail, cross referencing and prioritising.  I surprised myself at how quickly I learned about the organisation and how to work the systems.  

Not long after my fixed-term contract finished, I was contacted by Cornerstone to ask if I could help temporarily again to cover an absence, this time as a Branch Administrator.  I jumped at the chance!  During this time, I heard that the payroll team were looking for a Payroll Assistant, I read the role profile and felt excited about it as the job sounded challenging and had lots of elements that I really enjoyed during my time helping out in the HR team.

I applied for the Payroll Assistant and was so excited when I was successful at my interview and offered the job.  

I joined the payroll team in May 2025, and I am loving it.  I have the best, supportive team around me and I have learned so much already.    My favourite part of the job is looking into the more complex issues, identifying issues and resolving them.  I also volunteer my time to support my local Branch’s engagement days and events and get lots of satisfaction interacting with and getting to know the people we support and my operational colleagues. 

Although I am not directly involved in hands on support, I still know that my job has a massive impact on our colleagues being able to deliver the best care.  To make sure that their pay is right, on time and their queries are answered quickly is so important.  

I have signed up to do an SVQ level 3 (SCQF level 6/7) in Business Administration through the Modern Apprenticeship programme and will be supported by Cornerstone’s Training Academy to complete this.   

If I was to describe Cornerstone in 3 words I would say, welcoming, supportive and positive.