Office of the Public Guardian

About Us

The Office of Public Guardian serves as Iowa’s guardian and conservator of last resort for adults who cannot make their own legal, financial, or health care decisions and have no one else able or appropriate to serve in that role.

Created under Iowa Code Chapter 231E, the Office of Public Guardian protects individual rights and promotes the least‑restrictive decision‑making options whenever possible. Our work focuses on:

• Providing guidance and information on guardianship, conservatorship, and less‑restrictive alternatives for older adults and adults with disabilities.
• Offering education and resources for guardians and conservators across the state.
• Delivering guardianship and conservatorship services only when necessary and in the least‑restrictive manner.

The Office of Public Guardian is appointed only when a court determines that an individual’s needs cannot be met through less‑restrictive supports and no other suitable guardian or conservator is available.

Apply for Public Guardianship Services

You can complete an application for public guardianship services here: Application

When you submit the application, you will need to attach the Report of Decision-Making Capacities form. This form must be completed and signed by a physician (M.D. or D.O.), licensed psychologist, or registered nurse practitioner (ARNP). This form can be found here: Report of Decision-Making Capacities.

Eligibility

To be eligible for public guardianship services, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

• Is a resident of Iowa age 18 or older;
• Meets the legal standard for appointment of a guardian or conservator;
• Has needs that can be served by a guardian or conservator and that cannot be met with less restrictive alternatives;
• Does not have an appropriate or responsible person available to serve as guardian or conservator;
• Does not have resources to compensate a private guardian or conservator; and
• A viable plan for improving the care and safety of the individual is possible.

For additional information, contact:

Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Power of Attorney Training Courses

The Office of Public Guardian offers five free online training modules for Iowans interested in learning about adult guardianship, conservatorship, and powers of attorney. These modules are mainly for people serving as guardians, conservators, or agents under a power of attorney, but anyone can access them to learn more.

The five modules developed are:

• Module 1: Overview of Guardianship and Conservatorship in Iowa
• Module 2: Guardianship in Iowa (focusing on the responsibilities of guardians)
• Back to top

  Module 3: Conservatorship in Iowa (focusing on the responsibilities of conservators)

• Module 4: Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Module 5: General (Financial) Power of Attorney

To create a free account to use these trainings, please view these instructions (2.15 MB) .pdf .

Professional Guardianship Provider Listing

This is a list of professional providers that offer substitute decision making services throughout the state of Iowa. There may be other providers in addition to the ones in this list. This resource is for information only and not endorsed by the Office of Public Guardian or Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. While the department attempted to gather information that may help start your search, you are strongly encouraged to gather your own information, ask questions, and interview any potential provider.

The Professional Guardianship Provider Listing can be found here: Professional Guardianship Provider Listing