HHS Announces New Peer Support Prevention Services to Strengthen Families, Advancing the Great American Recovery & A Home for Every Child Initiatives

DES MOINES, IA — AUGUST 18, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) today added new peer support programs to the Title-IV Prevention Services Clearinghouse, for which all states can now claim federal reimbursement. The expansion advances the Trump Administration’s Great American Recovery and A Home for Every Child initiatives by equipping states with evidence-based resources to help parents overcome addiction, thereby strengthening families and reducing the number of children entering foster care.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery and Co-Chair of the Great American Recovery Initiative Kathryn Burgum, and ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams joined Governor Kim Reynolds in Des Moines to make the announcement.

“Addiction tears families apart. Recovery brings parents home and keeps children with the families who love them,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Under President Trump’s Great American Recovery, we are expanding proven peer support that helps parents overcome addiction, strengthens families, and keeps children out of foster care.”

“Iowa is proud to be first in the nation to adopt new peer-support interventions,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. “By responding to addiction and supporting struggling families, we’re building a stronger America: one where recovery is real, every child has a home, and hope is never out of reach for anyone.”

Iowa is the first state to adopt one of the new programs that feature peer support interventions, having already updated its state prevention plan with ACF’s pre-reviewed model language to include these evidence-based approaches that help families affected by the chronic disease of addiction.

In January 2026, President Donald Trump launched the Great American Recovery to help struggling Americans find treatment faster, stay connected to recovery support, and rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, and community through a coordinated, evidence-based approach.

“Peer support specialists are living proof that recovery is possible. Their lived experience is a powerful source of hope, connection and guidance for families working to overcome the chronic disease of addiction,” said White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery and Co-Chair of the Great American Recovery Kathryn Burgum. “Peer support is a high priority for the Great American Recovery because it remains one of the biggest gaps in our recovery system. Iowa is the first state to take this important step, expanding access to these services to help parents and strengthen families. We encourage states across the country to follow Iowa’s lead as we advance President Trump’s vision for a recovery system that leaves no American behind.”

ACF’s A Home for Every Child aims to improve the ratio of foster homes to the number of children in foster care. Prevention efforts anchor this initiative to help strengthen families and reduce foster care entries in the first place, which is why ACF continues to add new services to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse.

“Parental substance use disorder is a leading cause of child entry into foster care. The Trump Administration has already strengthened the suite of services available to both prevent and treat this disease, and today’s action doubles down on evidence-based prevention by unlocking federal matching funds for proven programs that integrate peer support,” said Alex Adams, Assistant Secretary for ACF.

ACF has determined that two new peer support interventions meet the evidence standards to be included in the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, enabling states to claim federal matching funds when delivering these services:

• Family-Based Recovery – Supported. This is an intensive in-home clinical treatment to support parents of children ages 0-5 with the chronic disease of addiction and allows a parent to receive the help they need, including a weekly peer support meeting, while ensuring children develop in a safe, substance-free, and stable home with their parents.
• Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) – Supported. WRAP is a facilitated peer group program, delivered by trained peer facilitators, designed to support individuals in the areas of mental health and the chronic disease of addiction. The program coaches individuals through recovery concepts and helps participants respond to and recover from crises.

Family-Based Recovery and WRAP join two other programs that feature peer support already included in the Clearinghouse with a Supported rating, Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) and Parents Anonymous.

“Addressing addiction requires more than treatment alone — it requires investing in people, families, and the communities that support recovery,” said Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Chief of Staff Tim Westlake. “Moving from a pill culture to a purpose culture means recognizing that recovery is strengthened through relationships, belonging, meaning, and purpose. Providing new federal funding pathways for evidence-based peer support puts that principle into practice, connecting individuals and families with people who understand the journey of recovery and can offer hope, encouragement, and the support.”

Now that Family-Based Recovery and WRAP have been added to the Clearinghouse, other states now have an opportunity to follow Iowa’s lead and update their state prevention plans to claim federal reimbursement for peer support interventions. Today, ACF’s Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) also issued a public call for additional recommendations for peer support programs and services that can be systematically reviewed for future inclusion in the Clearinghouse.

Today’s announcements are HHS’ latest actions to advance the Great American Recovery. Learn more here.