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About The Elly Jansen Award
The Elly Jansen Award, launched in 2023, is an international award celebrating original thinking, research, lived experience and creative practice in therapeutic communities and relational practice.
It's a legacy of Elly Jansen OBE, a pioneer in the development of therapeutic communities internationally, and who cared passionately about making the work of therapeutic communities more widely known.
Why the Elly Jansen Award matters
Therapeutic communities are effective, evidence based approaches to recovery built on relationships, shared responsibility, participation and the belief that people can grow and change through their relationships with others.
The Elly Jansen Award celebrates the people and organisations developing this work through research, writing and lived experience. Award entries can explore the ideas, principles and practice of therapeutic communities, as well as questions about their effectiveness, development and future.
Through the Award, we aim to:
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Share knowledge about therapeutic communities and relational practice
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Encourage original research and new ideas
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Promote good practice internationally
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Create opportunities for people with lived experience to contribute their knowledge
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Connect people working in the field
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Make the work and impact of therapeutic communities more widely known
Celebrating global perspectives
Although the Award has its roots in the UK, therapeutic communities are part of an international movement, and The Elly Jansen Award welcomes perspectives from different countries, cultures and professional backgrounds.
Its judging committee includes people with experience across therapeutic communities and relational practice, including therapists, academics, social workers and people with lived experience. The international committee has included members from countries including the UK, Italy, India, Japan and the USA. The current Chair is Dr Peter Cockersell.
The 2026 Award demonstrated this international reach, with winners and shortlisted entries representing therapeutic community work across three continents and different cultural contexts.
The two Awards
The Elly Jansen Award has two categories.
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Original Article Award which recognises new writing about therapeutic communities or relational practice. Entries can include academic papers, case studies, personal accounts, reflections on practice and other forms of original writing.
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Research Proposal Award which supports original research into the effectiveness or practice of therapeutic communities. This Award aims to encourage research that can strengthen the evidence base for therapeutic communities and contribute to the development of effective practice.
The 2027 Elly Jansen Awards are open for entries, and the closing date is midnight (GMT) on Sunday 3 May 2027.
The legacy of Elly Jansen OBE
The awards are named after Elly Jansen OBE, a pioneer of therapeutic communities whose work emphasised community, relationships, shared responsibility and people's capacity for change.
The awards continue this legacy by supporting new research, writing and ideas that can contribute to the future of therapeutic communities and relational practice.
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