Eileen Younghusband

Dame Eileen Louise Younghusband, DBE (1 January 1902 – 22 May 1981) was internationally known for her research and teaching in the field of social work. Early life Her father was Sir Francis Younghusband (1863–1942), a British explorer and mystic famous for his discoveries in Central Asia and his leadership of the British Tibet campaign of 1903–04. She was a student at the London School of Economics 1926–29, and a member of staff 1944–1958. Professional contributions In her Carnegie Reports of 1947 and 1950 she advocated "generic" training – a set of core knowledge common to all social workers. In 1954 she pioneered the teaching of a generic course that was to become the prototype of professional social work training in other universities. In 1955 she chaired a Ministry of Health working party on the provision of training for social workers, a rapidly expanding profession but with little opportunity for formal training. The subsequent Younghusband Report, which was published in May 1959, led to the establishment of the Council for Training in Social Work. This council was responsible for validating courses at polytechnics and further education institutions primarily for entrants to local authority health and welfare departments, issuing a Certificate in Social Work to those successfully completing such a course.