Fast Feet Forward: A sports group for looked‐after children and unaccompanied asylum‐seeking children as an early intervention to process trauma and reduce distress

Abstract

AbstractLooked‐after children (LAC) and unaccompanied asylum‐seeking children (UASC) are likely to have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in their developmental years, leading to poorer outcomes in their health and psychosocial development. A novel, exercise‐based early intervention utilising bilateral movements for UASC and adoptive children (An early intervention framework for the emotional health and wellbeing of unaccompanied minors, 2020) called Fast Feet Forward (FFF) has shown promise in providing relief from trauma symptoms. This study seeks to replicate the effectiveness of FFF and extend it to a new population of traumatised children. Two groups of FFF occurred with 18 children participating. Results revealed a statistically significant decrease in distress and an increase in positive cognitions for UASC, showing effective processing of trauma‐related hotspots. The LAC cohort also demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in distress and disturbance. Support is demonstrated for the efficacy of FFF as a cost‐effective and resiliency‐building early intervention treatment utilising bilateral movements for traumatised populations, especially UASC.