The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a community-based risk and protective factors approach to prevention and a series of guiding principles that can be utilized at the federal, state, tribal, and community levels. The SPF enables communities nationwide to build the infrastructure necessary for effective and sustainable prevention.
The five elements of the SPF assist communities to develop the infrastructure needed for a community-based, public health approach leading to effective and sustainable reductions in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use and abuse:
Additionally, Sustainability and Cultural Competence have been added to the core of the framework as both are necessary components of our work. Sustainability examines the organization’s ability to maintain the resources essential to achieving their long-term goals.
Cultural competence refers to the policies, practices, values, and behaviors which enable the organization as well as individuals to interact effectively in a culturally diverse environment.
The SPF process guides the work of our coalition and can be utilized for other prevention efforts in our community.
Additional resources regarding the SPF process:
Being an Effective Coalition Using the Strategic Prevention Framework
SPF Information Brief
SPF Visual Document