Internationale Gesellschaft für erzieherische Hilfen

What Internationale Gesellschaft für erzieherische Hilfen does

Internationale Gesellschaft für erzieherische Hilfen (IGfH) is a non-profit registered association (e.V.) headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, founded in 1962, and operating as the German section of the Fédération Internationale des Communautés Educatives (FICE). The organization functions as a professional association and knowledge center for the German child and youth welfare sector, serving public and free welfare organizations (öffentliche und freie Träger), social pedagogical professionals, and—indirectly—children, families, and care leavers. Its core activities include Fachgruppen (specialist groups), Regionalgruppen, and Arbeitsgruppen that convene members around foster care, residential care, child protection, and educational assistance.

IGfH's product portfolio consists of: (1) the Forum Erziehungshilfen (ForE) journal, a recurring professional publication; (2) specialist books and textbooks, including the third-edition 'Kinderschutz in Einrichtungen und Diensten der Sozialen Arbeit' and the 'Handbuch Tagesgruppen', distributed through a partnership with Beltz publishing house; (3) Fachtage conferences and Fortbildungen training programs; (4) research and project work such as the Dialogforum Pflegekinderhilfe (since 2015 with BMFSFJ), ProBE professionalization project, and CLS longitudinal study on care leavers; and (5) policy advocacy including formal Stellungnahmen on SGB VIII reform and child welfare legislation. The organization is Technology is not a core domain; IGfH explicitly does not offer software, APIs, or digital products.

The business model is a classic non-profit professional association mix: recurring membership fees from institutional and individual members, one-time publication sales through the Beltz distribution channel, and event registration fees (€300 for single members, €350 for non-members, with limited free places for young people, Careleaver, and foster parents). Project-based funding flows from federal sources including BMFSFJ and the Bundestiftung Deutsche Jugendmarke. The organization operates with a small core team of 5 employees and a broader network of editors, board members, and volunteer Fachgruppe participants. IGfH's role as a quasi-institutional policy interlocutor with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) and its participation in expert hearings on the 18th Kinder- und Jugendbericht underscore its regulatory and convening function within the German Erziehungshilfen sector.

Name

Internationale Gesellschaft für erzieherische Hilfen

Legal name

Internationale Gesellschaft für erzieherische Hilfen e.V.

Website

https://igfh.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IGfH is a German non-profit professional association (founded 1962, Frankfurt am Main) serving as the German section of FICE, providing publications, conferences, research projects, and policy advocacy to public and free welfare organizations and social pedagogical professionals in the child and youth welfare sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child and Youth Welfare Professional Association Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Field-of-Study & Discipline-Specific Funding (EDAIAOAD)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Youth welfare association
• Educational assistance
• Professional social work
• Foster care advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IGfH operates as a membership-based professional association (e.V. - registered association). Members include public and free welfare organizations, individual professionals, and institutional members in the child and youth welfare sector.
2. Publication Sales: Sale of professional publications including Forum Erziehungshilfen journal (€14.00), specialist books (€19.95-€25.00), and expert opinions. Distributed through Beltz publishing house partnership.
3. Event Registration Fees: Conference and seminar fees: single members €300, non-members €350, with limited free places for young people, Careleaver, and foster parents. Professional development seminars with varying pricing tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IGfH is a non-profit professional association and German section of FICE that delivers membership services, specialist publications (Forum Erziehungshilfen journal and child welfare textbooks), national conferences and continuing professional training (Fachtage, Fortbildungen), and structured research/dialogue projects for public and free welfare organizations, social work practitioners, and federal policy bodies in the child and youth welfare sector.

Product overview

IGFH operates as a professional association and knowledge center for educational assistance (Erziehungshilfen) in Germany. Its portfolio consists of: (1) Publication series including the Forum Erziehungshilfen (ForE) journal and specialized professional textbooks on child protection and social work; (2) Professional events including national Fachtage conferences and Fortbildungen training programs; (3) Research projects such as the Dialogforum Pflegekinderhilfe dialogue forum, ProBE professionalization project, and CLS longitudinal study on care leavers; and (4) Expert networks through Fachgruppen (specialist groups) covering topics like foster care, residential care, and child protection. The organization functions as the German section of FICE International (Fédération Internationale des Communautés Educatives) and does not offer a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forum Erziehungshilfen (ForE): Professional journal/publication series on educational assistance topics
• FICE Germany

Products and services

• Forum Erziehungshilfen (ForE) Specialist journal publication series covering topics on child and youth welfare, educational assistance, and child protection, published multiple times annually with thematic focus areas and targeted at social work practitioners and welfare organizations.
• Kinderschutz in Einrichtungen und Diensten der Sozialen Arbeit Comprehensive textbook on child protection in social work institutions and services, in its third revised edition, covering risk assessment and intervention frameworks for social pedagogical practitioners.
• Kinderschutz in Einrichtungen und Diensten der Jugendhilfe Introductory textbook on child welfare endangerment for social pedagogical practitioners, published in collaboration with Beltz publishing.
• Fachtage (Specialist Conferences) National specialist conferences on foster families, child protection, inclusion, and educational assistance, including annual conferences and specialized workshops for practitioners in the child and youth welfare sector.
• Fortbildungen (Professional Training) Continuing professional education and training programs for practitioners in child and youth welfare services, including workshops on de-escalation, stabilization, and cooperation.
• ProBE - Professionalisierung im Berufseinstieg Research and training project focused on professionalizing career entry into residential educational assistance for young professionals in the child and youth welfare sector.
• Dialogforum Pflegekinderhilfe Dialogue forum on foster care bringing together stakeholders from practice, policy, and research to develop recommendations for the foster care system in Germany.
• CLS - Soziale Teilhabe im Lebensverlauf Longitudinal study examining social participation of young adults transitioning from residential care, following participants over several years.
• Handbuch Tagesgruppen Comprehensive handbook on day group care (Tagesgruppen) covering pedagogical and legal foundations, practical knowledge, and future impulses for the field.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Fédération Internationale des Communautés Educatives (FICE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGfH is the German section (Sektion Deutschland) of FICE, an international federation for educational communities. This membership provides international exchange, comparative perspectives, and participation in international congresses and projects.
• BMFSFJ (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal ministry partnership for policy dialogue, expert consultations, and project funding. IGfH participates in expert discussions and working groups convened by the ministry on child welfare reform.
• Arbeitskreis zur Weiterentwicklung der PflegekinderhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group collaboration for the development of foster care. IGfH co-organizes conferences and develops position papers jointly with this expert network.
• Kompetenz-Zentrum PflegekinderhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Dialogforum Pflegekinderhilfe project since 2015, jointly developing expert opinions, discussions papers, and events on foster care development.
• Beltz publishing housemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for IGfH publications including Forum Erziehungshilfen and specialist books through Beltz/Beltz Jugendbuch/Beltz Fachmedien.
• AFET, BVkE, EREV (Erziehungshilfefachverbände)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other German child welfare professional associations for joint conferences, policy positions, and professional exchange.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: Umbrella organization of Protestant welfare services in Germany, one of the largest free welfare Träger operating in child and youth welfare. IGfH members include Diakonie-affiliated organizations, creating a constituency overlap but at substantially larger scale.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major German welfare association operating extensive child and youth welfare services. Comparable as a free Träger that both participates in IGfH's specialist discussions and operates overlapping service provision.
• Deutscher Caritasverband: Catholic welfare confederation and one of Germany's largest operators of child and youth welfare services. Overlaps with IGfH's constituency of free welfare Träger and is directly connected to peer association BVkE.
• Deutscher Kinderschutzbund: National German child protection association with much broader public profile and advocacy reach. Operates across child protection topics overlapping IGfH's remit but with significantly larger member base and brand recognition in family/child welfare policy.
• SOS-Kinderdörfer: Major German child welfare operator running residential and family-based youth services. Overlaps with IGfH's practitioner audience in residential care and care leaver support, but operates as a direct service provider rather than a professional association.

Direct peers

• EREV - Evangelischer Erziehungsverband: Protestant association for educational assistance, the third Erziehungshilfefachverband collaborating with IGfH. Comparable in mission scope (residential and foster care, child welfare professional development) and member base (free welfare organizations in Germany).
• AFET Bundesverband für Erziehungshilfe: German federal association for educational assistance, directly comparable to IGfH as a peer Erziehungshilfefachverband. The two collaborate on joint conferences and policy positions but compete for member organizations and policy influence within the same German child welfare professional space.
• Bundesverband katholischer Erziehungshilfe (BVkE): Catholic federal association for educational assistance in Germany, a peer Erziehungshilfefachverband with overlapping membership and joint advocacy. Both IGfH and BVkE organize conferences on foster care and child protection, serving similar welfare organization constituents.

Others

• FICE International: International federation for educational communities of which IGfH is the German section. Directly linked organizational entity rather than competitor, but comparable as a peer-level child welfare federation operating in other national jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• Kompetenz-Zentrum Pflegekinderhilfe: Joint project partner since 2015 on Dialogforum Pflegekinderhilfe, focused specifically on foster care expertise. Highly comparable in topic focus (Pflegekinderhilfe) but narrower in scope than IGfH's full Erziehungshilfen agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/igfh_ev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/internationale-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-erzieherische-hilfen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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