Youth worker Jayne Senior, whose revelations about child sexual exploitation in Rotherham helped expose a scandal that shocked the nation, will be awarded an MBE by the Queen today.
Mrs Senior is being recognised for services to child protection in the South Yorkshire town where she repeatedly raised concerns about girls being groomed and forced into prostitution, while she worked for a youth project.
She went on to collaborate with a national newspaper and their work started a chain of events which led to the Jay Report in 2014 which highlighted the widespread extent of the abuse.
During the Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony two of David Cameron's former cabinet colleagues, nominated in the ex-prime minister's resignation honours list, will receive awards.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon will be made a knight commander of the Order of the Bath while Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will receive the honour of knighthood.
Mr Cameron was criticised for cronyism after his resignation honours list recognised a string of political supporters, Conservative Party donors and Downing Street staff.
Also being honoured is Professor Dame Sue Black of Dundee University, the forensic anthropologist who leads the department which reconstructed the face of King Richard III, whose remains were found under a car park in Leicester in 2012.
Professor Black, who heads the university's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, will be made a Dame Commander, for services to forensic anthropology.