What Is a Tribal Action Plan?
A Tribal Action Plan (TAP) is a strategic plan for guiding specific, positive change among tribal members to address alcohol and substance misuse. Developing or revising a TAP promotes community recovery and healing. The TAP outlines what will be done, who will do it, and how success is defined. It also:
- Reflects each tribe's cultural concepts of wellness and healing
- Fosters tribal strengths
- Supports tribal self-determination
- Is driven by local needs, challenges, assets, and resources
Implementing a TAP
A tribal government or tribal consortium may choose to adopt a resolution that establishes a TAP. This helps to coordinate available resources and programs.
To ensure TAP effectiveness, the tribal resolution should create a Tribal Coordinating Committee. Responsibilities of a Tribal Coordinating Committee include:
- Implementing, reviewing, and evaluating the TAP
- Making recommendations
- Coordinating technical assistance
See guidelines for creating a TAP (PDF │ 411 KB).
TAP Development Steps
Once a tribe has established a Tribal Coordinating Committee, the next steps to developing a TAP are to:
- Identify existing strengths and resources (people, programs, policies, equipment, and events).
- Assess needs and resources related to substance misuse.
- Coordinate existing and future resources.
- Identify gaps in existing services.
- Develop a comprehensive and coordinated strategy that contains goals, anticipated outcomes, activities, responsibilities, and assessments
- Collaborate with stakeholders to identify urgent and emerging substance use issues.
Access additional TAP development resources page.
Technical Assistance
Assistance in developing a TAP is available for all American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations, and for rural and urban organizations that serve Native communities. Webinars are also available and provide more information. To request technical assistance with developing a TAP or other types of TTA, contact the Tribal TTA Center.
SAMHSA also offers other types of technical assistance for creating TAP.
Consider joining the TAP Community, and online forum for discussing TAPs and sharing documents, training resources and announcements, worksheets, and more.