IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH

What IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH does

IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH is a non-profit socio-scientific practice research institution founded in 1995 and headquartered in Essen, Germany. The organization develops and operates diagnostic, evaluation, and qualification programs for the German and Austrian child and youth welfare sector, serving Erziehungshilfe (educational assistance) facilities, social pedagogical practitioners, and public administration bodies. Its core methodology centers on structured social-pedagogical diagnostics, participatory help planning, and evidence-based quality development compliant with §78b SGB VIII.

The product portfolio comprises four interconnected offerings: EVAS 5.0, a subscription-based web portal for diagnostics, help planning, and quality evaluation deployed across 250+ facilities in Germany and Austria with approximately 50,000 documented cases; WirkMit!, a participatory diagnostic method grounded in the Capability Approach (Sen/Nussbaum) that enables family self-assessment across 16 life areas; emuk 2.0, a specialized documentation and evaluation procedure for mother/father-child facilities under §19 SGB VIII; and IKJ Akademie, a professional training division offering certification courses and workshops. IKJ ProQualitas GmbH operates as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Revenue is generated through three streams: tiered annual subscriptions for EVAS 5.0 (Basic, Premium, Premium Plus), professional services and certification through IKJ Akademie, and one-time sales of WirkMit! materials. The organization operates a sales-led, direct-institutional go-to-market in the DACH region, with strategic partnerships including the Bundesverband Caritas Kinder- und Jugendhilfe (BVwK), IJOS, FICE, and Katholische Hochschule Mainz. The organization is currently conducting a public search for a new Director to begin January 1, 2027.

Name

IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH

Legal name

IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH

Website

https://ikj-online.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH is a German non-profit founded in 1995 that develops EVAS 5.0, WirkMit!, and emuk 2.0 — diagnostic, evaluation, and quality development tools for child and youth welfare facilities across Germany and Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Welfare Quality Management Software

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education Evaluation & Assessment (Psychoeducational, Speech/Language, OT/PT) (EDAJAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Child welfare diagnostics
• Social pedagogy evaluation
• Youth welfare quality
• Educational assistance services
• Professional qualification training

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EVAS 5.0 Licensing and Support: Multi-tiered subscription-based access to the EVAS 5.0 evaluation platform with different service levels (Basic, Premium, Premium Plus) including diagnostic tools, evaluation reports, and consultation services
2. IKJ Akademie - Qualification Programs: Professional development and certification courses for practitioners in child and youth welfare, including online certificate courses and workshops
3. WirkMit! Material Sales: Sale of physical materials and toolkits for implementing the WirkMit! methodology in practice

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IKJ sells subscription access to EVAS 5.0, a web-based pedagogical specialist procedure that structures social-pedagogical diagnostics, help planning, and quality evaluation for child and youth welfare facilities in Germany and Austria. Complementing the platform are the WirkMit! participatory assessment methodology, the emuk 2.0 documentation procedure for parent-child facilities, and the IKJ Akademie professional qualification and certification programs.

Product overview

IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH offers a platform of interconnected diagnostic, evaluation, and training products for the German child and youth welfare sector. The core products are EVAS 5.0 (a comprehensive pedagogical specialist procedure for social diagnostics, help planning, and quality evaluation) and WirkMit! (a participatory assessment method based on the Capability Approach). These are complemented by IKJ Akademie (professional training and certification) and emuk 2.0 (specialized documentation for parent-child facilities). EVAS serves as the overarching evaluation framework, while WirkMit! functions as an embedded diagnostic component, and IKJ Akademie provides the training needed to implement these methods. The offering operates as a unified service ecosystem rather than discrete standalone software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EVAS 5.0: A pedagogical professional procedure (pädagogisches Fachverfahren) for structured social-pedagogical diagnostics, help planning, and evaluation in child welfare facilities. Used in over 250 facilities since 1999.
• WirkMit!
• IKJ Akademie

Products and services

• EVAS 5.0 A web-based pedagogical specialist procedure for structuring social pedagogical diagnostics, help/education planning, and quality evaluation in child and youth welfare facilities, sold on a tiered subscription (Basic, Premium, Premium Plus). It serves child welfare facilities in Germany and Austria and supports compliance with § 78b SGB VIII quality development requirements.
• WirkMit! A versatile participatory method for social pedagogical diagnostics, help planning, evaluation, and improvement of services for families and young people. Family members subjectively rate realization opportunities across 16 life areas via a self-assessment scale grounded in the Capability Approach. Sold as licensed methodology toolkits and embedded within EVAS; serves child welfare facilities and practitioners.
• IKJ Akademie Training and qualification division offering certificate courses, workshops, and the insoweit erfahrene Fachkraft certification as well as WirkMit! training for practitioners in child and youth welfare; serves individual practitioners and welfare organizations.
• emuk 2.0 A documentation and evaluation procedure for mother/father-child facilities pursuant to § 19 SGB VIII, supporting professionals in tracking and evaluating the development of parents and children in those facilities.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bundesverband Caritas Kinder- und Jugendhilfe e.V. (BVwK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Association of Caritas Child and Youth Welfare. IKJ collaborates with this umbrella organization of Catholic child welfare providers on quality development and professional standards in German youth welfare.
• IJOSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the child and youth welfare sector, logo displayed on IKJ cooperation partners page.
• FICEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Federation of Social Workers / Foster Care Organizations. International cooperation partner for knowledge exchange and professional collaboration.
• Hessisches KinderTagespflegeBürominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHesse Day Care Bureau. Regional partner for child day care quality development and professional exchange.
• Katholische Hochschule MainzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz. Academic partner for research collaboration, knowledge transfer, and professional education in social work.
• Kreis PinnebergminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in the Pinneberg district, displaying logo as IKJ cooperation partner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hogrefe Verlag: Publisher of standardized psychological and educational diagnostic and assessment instruments widely used in social and educational practice in German-speaking countries. Directly comparable because both sell scientifically grounded assessment tools to practitioners working with children and youth.
• Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI): Germany's leading federal youth research institute conducting empirical research on childhood, youth, families, and child welfare policy. Highly comparable to IKJ because both operate at the intersection of youth welfare research, methodology development, and policy advisory services in Germany.
• Ernst Reinhardt Verlag: Specialist publisher for social work, education, and psychology with practical methods, handbooks, and training materials used by the same social pedagogical audience as IKJ. Comparable as a content and methodology provider in the social work training ecosystem.
• IJOS - Institut für Jugendarbeit und außerschulische Bildung: An existing IKJ cooperation partner that operates in the same child and youth welfare professional development and qualification space, offering overlapping training and consulting services to the same target audience.
• ism - Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz gGmbH: Non-profit social pedagogical research institute in Mainz with comparable mission around Hilfen zur Erziehung, quality development, and practitioner training. Directly parallel to IKJ in structure, clientele, and content focus.

Others

• Diakonie Deutschland: Umbrella organization of Protestant social welfare services in Germany, operating extensive child and youth welfare facilities. Comparable because it is a major purchaser of evaluation and qualification services in the same Hilfen zur Erziehung market IKJ addresses.
• FICE-International: International umbrella federation for residential child and youth care. Listed as an IKJ cooperation partner; comparable as a sector convening body shaping standards and professional exchange in the same child welfare ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large private foundation running extensive programs on education, family policy, and welfare reform in Germany. Comparable because it funds and develops evidence-based frameworks and assessment instruments for the same child welfare and education ecosystems IKJ serves.
• Cornelsen Verlag: Major German educational publisher producing assessment tools, instructional content, and digital platforms for schools and educational institutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping diagnostic and evaluation capabilities for the German education market.

Regional players

• Nifbe - Niedersächsisches Institut für frühkindliche Bildung und Entwicklung: Regional research and development institute for early childhood education and care in Lower Saxony. Comparable as a non-profit institute delivering evidence-based methodologies and practitioner training, but operating at a sub-national level rather than across Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ikj-ggmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ikj_online

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe gGmbH