How we can help you

It can be tricky to uncover specific information on supporting people with disabilities in a swimming environment. This website aims to help you find the best resources quickly, which we have arranged as follows.

Activity Finders

Clubs Affiliated to Halliwick AST

Find a club that has affiliated to Halliwick AST and which might offer Swimming Therapy.

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CP-inclusive Club Finder

 Search easily and quickly for cerebral-palsy-inclusive clubs and activity in your local area, by using a postcode search.

Find a Club

Pool Finder

Find a swimming pool or club near you.

Find a pool

Information sources

Cerebral Palsy Resources

CP Sport provide a variety of downloadable activities and other resources, including:

  • “Say Yes to Sport!” This is aimed at u13 year olds who have cerebral palsy and their families. It contains useful information about CP Sport services as well as fun activities to complete.
  • “Okay to Play” – for families. This family resource will provide families and carers hints and tips on how to be active with members of the family who have a physical impairment. It will provide the confidence to ‘play’ within the home setting, go into the local community and access green spaces and parks and ultimately encourage the family to be active together.
  • “Okay to Play” – for professionals. This resource is designed to provide teachers and those that lead PE with the tools to be able to run fully inclusive sessions and activities breaking down barriers and perceptions.
  • Frame Football Skills cards. These have been developed to support individuals to play frame football at home, in the garden or in outdoor spaces with family and friends. They are a great resource to keep players practising and engaged in football.
  • DVD Learning Resource. For swimming teachers, coaches, parents, companions, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as an introduction to swimming with cerebral palsy. The DVD contains information and advice on how to enhance the support provided to swimmers with a physical disability. By adopting the simple techniques demonstrated, you will improve the experience for swimmers with which you work by improving confidence when working with swimmers with cerebral palsy.

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Environmental Assessment Tool

Swim England’s Environmental Assessment Tool should be used at any pool before it opens or before trying to encourage people with long term health conditions or impairments.

Dowload Word Doc

Health Fact Sheets

Following publication of the Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming report, Swim England’s Health Commission group have agreed to work collaboratively to develop a range of fact sheets on swimming with particular health conditions.

We have linked to the current fact sheet library for people assisting or supporting swimmers, grouped by conditions covered. Select ‘Go to Fact Sheets’, then scroll to the bottom of the page to find the fact sheet library.

Go to Fact Sheets

Swimming With Health Conditions

A series of web articles covering multiple considerations including: swimming after Covid-19, ear infection, skin conditions etc.

More Information

Publications

Let’s All Swim

Whether you are a Swimming Teacher, a Physiotherapist, PE Teacher, a parent or carer or a person with a disability yourself, there are ‘gems of knowledge’ in this book for everyone. There are few books in the world which will support you to help people with a very wide range of needs in the water. Written originally as part of a Swimming Teacher Education programme, it is a rich source which will provide solutions to many of the challenges you may face.

Buy

Safe At the Pool

This is a complementary publication to ‘Let’s all Swim’ and looks at the many safety issues which can affect the preparation, organization and conduct of swimming sessions for disabled people.

Guidance is given to ensure that supervisors understand how best to support swimmers and non-swimmers with many different needs. The book can be used as a ‘dip-in’ resource when previously unseen disabilities are encountered.

The main topics considered are:

  • Awareness of the importance of relevant legislation, regulations, Pool Safety Operating Procedures and Risk Assessment
  • Understanding the needs of disabled people in an aquatic environment, to ensure safety when planning and organising activities
  • Appropriate and effective lifesaving and life support skills
  • Co-ordination of emergency response and teamwork

Safe at the pool should be a ‘must’ for anyone involved in supervising disabled people in a swimming or hydrotherapy pool.

Swimming Therapy Publications

Halliwick produce and update various publications including books, leaflets, DVDs and other equipment.

You can download some documents for free, including some leaflets, articles, newsletters, and even scripts of DVDs, but unfortunately, they have to charge for some of their publications as they are expensive to produce and they run on a voluntary basis, largely relying on donations and income from running Halliwick courses.

Browse Publications

Training/CPD

Austswim

Based in Australia, Austswim has had excellent reviews from a number of STA teachers who have taken the training and all have found it very useful. If you follow them on Facebook you get a regular newsletter.

More Information

CPD: Cerebral Palsy and Swimming

This online programme has been created to increase awareness for swimming teachers on what Cerebral Palsy is and how it may affect someone within a swimming environment.

Sign up

CPD: Delivering an excellent service for disabled customers

Of course, there isn’t only one way to engage disabled people. What really matters is that your processes are fully inclusive and accessible. Especially when it comes to providing good customer service to disabled people.

This is where Activity Alliance’s ‘Delivering an Excellent Service for Disabled Customers’ eLearning course comes in. Staff training and workforce development is extremely valuable in becoming an inclusive facility.

Discover the Course

Learn to Swim Webinars

These cover a range of topics from the more general to specific advice on Long-Term Health Conditions and impairments such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s. The recordings are free to watch.

Watch Webinars

Swimming Therapy Courses

Halliwick AST offers a number of courses for those interested in either learning about the Halliwick Concept or qualifying as an instructor or lecturer.

Halliwick AST courses are approved by the Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (ATACP). 

Explore Courses

Insights

Activity Alliance Research Papers

Activity Alliance lead the way in gathering insight on disabled people in sport and activity. On their website you can find relevant research, including all studies commissioned, published and released by them or in partnership. 

Download Activity Alliance Research

Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming

In 2017 Swim England commissioned major new research into the health benefits of swimming. The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Swimming report is an independent study that fully explores the impact of swimming on physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Download the Report

Organisations

Activity Alliance / Disability Sport Events

Activity Alliance works to make active lives possible. We do this by enabling organisations to support disabled individuals to be and stay active. Our work is centred on research and insight with disabled people as well as our engagement with organisations from various sectors. The DSE Swimming programme organises and facilitates swimming events and championships at a regional and national level.

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CP Sport

CP Sport’s mission is ‘To provide opportunities for all people with cerebral palsy to take part in sporting activities at local, national and international level’.

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Halliwick Association of Swimming Therapy

The Halliwick Association of Swimming Therapy (Halliwick AST) is a voluntary organisation.
We were set up in 1952 and our aim is to further and to foster the use of the Halliwick Concept as a means of teaching swimming and happiness in water to disabled people and others. We are a registered charity (number 250008) and have clubs, groups and individuals that affiliate with us throughout the UK and elsewhere.

Amongst other things, we develop and run courses on the Halliwick Concept. We also produce a wide range of publications and DVDs for those working with the Halliwick Concept.

The Halliwick Concept looks for, and develops an individual’s ability in water. It calls for equal development of mental and physical balance; the two are indivisible when working to achieve security and happiness in water.

The Halliwick Concept works to a Ten-Point Programme, which is linked to our philosophy.

This in turn is implemented with achievement badges, giving standards of progression and fulfilment.

The Halliwick Concept is adaptable for all disabilities, however severe, and is equally successful for teaching non-disabled people, both children and adults.

It does not require the use of personal flotation aids; it is important that the swimmer learns to find and control their own balance in the water. The focus is on working with helpers instead, initially on a one-to-one basis, gradually withdrawing help as the swimmer becomes more independent.

More Information

National Association of Swimming Clubs for the Handicapped

NASCH supports and promotes swimming and swimming clubs for people with disabilities.

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National Disability Sports Organisations

The National Disability Sports Organisations (NDSOs) are a good starting point for many disabled people who want to be more active. They provide advice, support and opportunities for people of all ages with specific impairments.

Together, the NDSOs created ‘Accessible sport for you’, a handy information guide for disabled people. The pack includes information about activities and sporting opportunities you can enjoy with support from the NDSOs.

More Information

Royal Life Saving Society UK

Founded in 1891, the Royal Life Saving Society UK is the longest established life saving organisation in the world. It is active in more than 40 countries and is Britain’s foremost provider of training and education in water safety, rescue and life support. Over 250,000 people learn basic lifesaving skills every year.

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Swim England

Swim England is the national governing body for aquatic activity in England and has a vision to get “A Nation Swimming”.
They appoint officers to co-ordinate and support the development of swimming opportunities for disabled people.

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Swimming Teachers’ Association

The Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) was formed in 1932. The STA is a registered charity whose objects are ‘the preservation of human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques’.

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The Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists

The Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (ATACP) is a recognised clinical interest group within the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).  It has over 200 members who have an interest in aquatic therapy (hydrotherapy).  Membership is open to chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants and physiotherapy students.  Associate membership is open to non-physiotherapists.

The ATACP publishes a bi-annual newsletter called Aqualines which has articles and information relevant to hydrotherapy.

Other publications from the ATACP include Guidance on Good Practice in Hydrotherapy and the HyDAT Project: UK Aquatic Physiotherapy Data Collection

Two study days are run each year.

Formal courses are offered/recommended –

Foundation Course endorsed by the CSP

Intermediate aquatic therapy courses.

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