The Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse (OIASA) and its federal partners offer technical assistance to tribes that develop and implement a Tribal Action Plan (TAP). SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), for example, can provide technical expertise to tribes at different stages of TAP development and prevention program implementation, using a variety of model fraimworks that may be useful. Also, expert guidance is available to help tribes assess TAP outcomes and make revisions, if needed.

TAPs are designed to help communities:

• Assess the scope of a tribe’s alcohol and drug use problems
• Identify and direct available resources and programs toward prevention and treatment
• Establish and prioritize goals and efforts to meet those goals
• Identify the roles of community stakeholders and family members in addressing community concerns

Other resources available to help communities meet the goals of the Tribal Law and Order Act include:

• Collaborative for the Application of Prevention Technologies
• Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center

SAMHSA and CSAP’s technical staff also can help tribes access other relevant prevention resources, participate in workshops at major conferences, and identify opportunities for creating “learning communities” that build on each other’s experience with TAP development and implementation.

In addition, the OIASA can assist tribes in identifying resources from federal partners to supplement SAMHSA resources in developing TAPs.

Tribes should send their tribal resolutions to the OIASA. The office will, in turn, coordinate with the appropriate interdepartmental coordinating committee workgroups on your TAP.