What is Recreational Therapy?
Advancement for Recreational Therapy UK CIC (ART UK) is building the UK’s professional home for recreational therapy—raising standards, recognition, and understanding of therapeutic activity.
In Australia, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, Japan and other countries, recreational therapy is recognised as a profession with formal education routes, defined standards, and clear scopes of practice. This supports consistent, accountable practice and better outcomes for the people receiving support.
In the UK, activity coordinators are expected to deliver complex, person-centred therapeutic support with limited access to consistent training, recognised qualifications, or a clear professional pathway.
Advancement for Recreational Therapy UK CIC (ART UK) exists to change that—through advocacy, public education, and the development of professional standards and pathways, from activity coordination roles through to recreational therapy practice.
Sign up to our newsletter to follow our progress. By subscribing, you are helping us show national demand for a clear, recognised recreational therapy pathway in the UK.
Our Goals:
Advocacy & Recognition
We are advocating for recreational therapy to be recognised in the UK as a skilled profession—so therapeutic activity is valued, properly understood, and taken seriously across health and social care.
Education Pathways & Standards
We are working towards clear education and development pathways, aligned with international models (Australia, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, and Japan). This is not only to support the workforce, but to ensure the people receiving therapeutic care benefit from consistent, safe, evidence-informed practice—rather than relying on a patchwork internal training alone.
We are improving public and professional understanding of recreational therapy—so families, services, and decision-makers know what it is, why it matters, and what good practice should look like.
Awareness & Understanding
Join Our Community
Join the Advancement for Recreational Therapy UK (ART UK) mailing list to support a growing national voice. A strong community helps us demonstrate demand and be taken seriously as we push for recognition, standards, and better therapeutic care across the UK.