Iowa Health and Human Services awarded a contract to the University of Iowa National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice (UI-NRC) in the School of Social Work to provide comprehensive training for Iowa’s peer workforce. The project provides training for peer support specialists, family peer support specialists, and recovery coaches to grow the workforce and organizations that employ peers. 

The partnership also provides technical assistance to agencies and organizations across Iowa that have a peer workforce. This partnership will be called the Iowa Peer Workforce Collaborative (IPWC) and is made possible through funding from Iowa Health and Human Services through its contract with the University of Iowa National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice (UI-NRC) for Peer Support and Recovery Coach Training and Coordination (MHDS 21-013).

News and Announcements

Building Connections Through Lived Experience: Family Navigators at Child Health Specialty Clinics

Tuesday, April 14, 2026
The team of Family Peer Support Specialists (FPSS), known internally as Family Navigators (FNs) at Child Health Specialty Clinics (CHSC), are parents or primary caregivers of children with special health care needs. Drawing on their lived experience, FNs provide emotional support, help families navigate complex systems, and connect them to community resources.

Shifts in Iowa’s Peer Workforce Amid Integrated Health Home Closure

Thursday, January 8, 2026
In 2025, Iowa began a major system realignment. Given the scale of this transition and the important role of peer professionals in behavioral health, understanding workforce changes is essential. In this research brief, Katelyn Akright describes changes in the number, type, and location of employed peer professionals between 2024 and 2025, using the Iowa Peer Support Inventory (PSI). She considers both statewide trends and regional variation, as well as shifts in the types of employed peer professionals (PSS, FPSS, and RC) across Iowa.

Recovery Coach Team ADDS Strength to Behavioral Health Services in Southeast Iowa

Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Peer Recovery Coaches from Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services (ADDS) of Southeast Iowa are expanding peer support services throughout Des Moines, Henry, Lee, and Lousia counties.

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To join the Iowa Peer Workforce Collaborative email list and be notified of trainings and events, please send a request with your contact information to: IowaPeerSupportTraining@uiowa.edu