 Unwin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to the housing corporation, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 as deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency for services to consumers, and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to civil society.She received an Outstanding Leadership Award, at the 2010 Charity Awards.The presenter said "...it's hard to overstate the impact that her work has had on social policy in the UK."