Nearly every SSP will need to create official policies and procedures. These make up the building blocks of harm reduction program design and are the operational guidelines for an organization. The purpose of policies and procedures is to protect and steer stakeholders as they fulfill the mission of the organization. They are a reference tool for appropriate action, ethical decision making, and for dealing with potential or actual conflicts.

This section discusses the basic principles that harm reduction programs use to guide their decision making, and some general guidelines for broad categories of policies and procedures that harm reduction programs usually need to address. This section also addresses ethically challenging or difficult to navigate policies specific to harm reduction organizations such as participant use of bathrooms and dealing with law enforcement. Please note that this chapter does not include any discussion of employee policies or concerns, a subject large enough that it has its own section.