Professional Body

Welcome to the UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (ASTH) – the professional body representing therapeutic horticulture across the UK.

Founded in 2021 by Trellis and joined by Thrive in 2023, ASTH sets national standards for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) practice. As the UK’s  professional association for this field, ASTH defines the code of ethics, quality benchmarks, roles and best practices to ensure public trust and deliver meaningful outcomes for clients. Its development is guided by a dedicated group of over 100 practitioners who actively shape its direction and uphold excellence in the sector.

We are pleased to let you know that we have completed work on the draft Practitioner Competencies. These competencies have been created by a working group of practitioners, alongside Trellis and Thrive, and outline the abilities that Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) Practitioners need in order to fulfil their responsibilities safely and effectively, in line with the UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (ASTH) Practice Standards and Code of Ethics.

You can find the draft here. The Competencies survey is now closed, we will share an update soon.

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