MacAlister also studied for, and received, a masters degree in leadership in education at the University of Manchester.[6]
Professional life
Teaching
MacAlister trained as a teacher through the Teach First Programme and went on to work as a teacher in Oldham.
Frontline
During his time as a teacher, MacAlister began to engage with young people with experience of the care system. These experiences led MacAlister to establish Frontline, a graduate social worker training programme modeled on Teach First, in 2013.[4] The first cohort began their training the following year.[6]
In January 2021 MacAlister stepped down from his role at Frontline in order to chair an independent review of children's social care.[7] MacAlister's appointment was criticized by some social work academics who questioned whether he could be impartial given that Frontline had received central government funding.[7]
In June 2021, the review published its interim findings. In October 2021 the review published a second report in response to the feedback received on the interim report. The final report of the review was published in May 2022.[8]
In 2023 MacAlister joined his local mountain rescue team.[12] In July 2024, shortly after being elected as an MP, MacAlister was called out to a mountain rescue.[13]