Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik

What Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik does

Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik is a Swiss non-profit professional association founded in 1926, headquartered in Zurich with a regional office in Lausanne. It serves as the national umbrella body for organizations and professionals working in social and special education, with a particular focus on out-of-home care for children and youth. The association represents roughly 300 institutional members across all Swiss language regions, including residential care providers, foundations, universities (e.g., ZHAW, HES-SO), cantonal authorities (e.g., Canton Aargau), and individual practitioners. Beyond advocacy and policy engagement at the cantonal and federal levels, Integras operates as a standards-setter and knowledge intermediary for the sector.

Its product and service portfolio combines traditional publishing and convening with a growing digital stack. Core offerings include THEMA, the annual professional journal; EQUALS, an online quality assessment instrument with an annual member assembly; JAEL, an e-learning platform; PRISMA, a participation tool for children and youth in care settings; a publications shop; and recurring flagship conferences (Brunnen, Tagung Murten/Morat, National Fachtagung). Integras also issues sector standards such as the Bündner Standard 2026 and conducts webinars to extend its educational reach. The underlying technology is conventional web-based delivery rather than AI-enabled analytics or adaptive systems.

The business model is membership-driven and event-driven. Revenue is generated through tiered membership fees (Collective I, Collective II, Individual, with Collective I base fees of CHF 300–500 plus per-place add-ons and Individual memberships at CHF 100/year), conference and webinar registration fees (e.g., Murten/Morat at CHF 460–700), publication sales via the shop, and project-related funding tied to standards development. With 11 employees and a non-profit governance structure, the organization operates at the scale of a sector trade body rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik

Legal name

Integras

Website

https://integras.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik is a Swiss non-profit association founded in 1926 that represents providers, universities, and cantonal authorities in social and special education, delivering standards, conferences, and digital tools such as EQUALS, JAEL, and PRISMA to roughly 300 institutional members across Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG)

Keywords

• Social education association
• Special education advocacy
• Out-of-home care standards
• Professional development conferences
• Quality benchmarking frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from institutions (Collective I and II) and individuals, providing access to professional resources, networking, and association benefits including discounts on events and publications
2. Conference and Event Fees: Registration fees for annual conferences (Brunnen, Morat, National), webinars, workshops and specialized training programs
3. Publications and Resources: Sale of professional publications including THEMA magazine, practical guides, card sets, and educational materials

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Integras is a Swiss professional association that delivers membership services, professional standards and quality frameworks, annual conferences and training, peer-reviewed publications (THEMA magazine, practical guides), advocacy for child rights, and specialized digital tools (EQUALS for quality benchmarking, PRISMA for participation, JAEL for e-learning) to social and special education institutions and practitioners across Switzerland.

Product overview

Integras is a Swiss professional association for social and special education (Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik) that provides a portfolio of products and services focused on professional development, quality assurance, and advocacy for out-of-home care and special education. The core offerings include the annual THEMA professional journal, the EQUALS online quality benchmarking tool, JAEL e-learning platform, and the PRISMA participation tool. The association organizes major annual conferences including the Tagung Brunnen (three-day German-language conference running for over 80 years) and the Colloque de Morat (two-day French-language conference). Additional services include professional standards development, policy positions and advocacy, knowledge transfer through research cooperation, expert commissions, and a multilingual newsletter. Integras serves over 300 member institutions across all language regions of Switzerland through its offices in Zurich and Lausanne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• THEMA Fachmagazin (Annual Professional Journal) Annual professional journal in social and special education sold via the Integras online shop at CHF 7.00 (free for members), distributed to members and the broader sector.
• EQUALS Online Quality Assessment Tool Online tool for quality assurance and benchmarking used by member institutions in out-of-home care, accompanied by annual EQUALS meetings for participating institutions.
• JAEL E-Learning Platform E-learning platform for professional development of practitioners in out-of-home care and youth welfare, provided by Integras to its membership.
• PRISMA Participation Tool Participation tool for involving children and youth in decision-making processes in institutional care, presented through the Integras webinar 'Partizipation konkret'.
• Tagung Brunnen (Annual German-language Conference) Three-day annual continuing education conference for leadership of social and special education institutions in German-speaking Switzerland, running for over 80 years.
• Colloque de Morat (Annual French-language Conference) Two-day French-language annual conference for leadership of social and special education institutions in Suisse Romande, with tiered fees (Collective members CHF 460, Individual members CHF 600, Non-members CHF 700).
• Nationale Fachtagung (National Conference on Social and Special Education) Annual national conference on social and special education, covering cross-cutting themes such as non-violent upbringing and invisible violence.
• Collective I Institutional Membership (Social/Special Education Facilities) Annual institutional membership for social and special education facilities, with tiered fees based on number of residential and semi-residential places, including personalized onboarding and site visits.
• Collective II Membership (Authorities, Training Institutions, Public Organizations) Flat-rate annual membership at CHF 500 per year for cantonal/federal authorities, universities, and public organizations active in social and special education.
• Individual Professional Membership Annual individual membership for social educators, special needs educators, researchers, and practitioners at CHF 100 per year, with member discounts on events and publications.
• Standards and Quality Assurance Services Professional standards development and quality assurance services for institutions in out-of-home care and special education, including reporting frameworks such as the Grisons Standard 2026.
• Political Positions and Policy Advocacy Policy positions and official statements on current social policy issues related to out-of-home care and special education, submitted in legislative consultation procedures on behalf of the sector.
• Multilingual Newsletter Electronic newsletter published several times per year providing updates on research, practice, and policy developments in out-of-home care, distributed to members and the broader sector.
• Knowledge Transfer and Research Cooperation Research cooperation and knowledge transfer service linking practice and academia in social and special education, including the national survey on placed children, the re:connect study on digital media in residential care, and the MOOC on children's rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ member organizations representing all language regions of Switzerland
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• agogisminorOthersSwiss association for foster care and adoption, collaborated on national research about children in out-of-family care (2015-2017 study on status of children in foster families and institutions)
• PACH - Pflege- und Adoptivkinder SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on national survey about situation of children placed in foster families and institutions in Switzerland (2015-2017), gathering comparable statistical data on numbers and forms of accommodation
• arpihminorOthersOrganization active in the field of disability and inclusion, listed as network partner
• careleaver.chminorOthersNetwork supporting care leavers - young people who have aged out of institutional care
• FHNW - Fachhochschule NordwestschweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences, collaborated on re:connect study about digital media in youth residential care, and co-organizes annual Gruppendynamik conference with Integras
• HSLU - Hochschule LuzernminorOthersUniversity of Applied Sciences in Lucerne, listed as network partner in social work education
• keschaminorOthersSwiss platform for child and youth support services
• leaving-care.chminorOthersSwiss network dedicated to supporting young people transitioning out of institutional care
• Netzwerk Kinderrechte SchweizminorOthersSwiss Child Rights Network, coalition promoting children's rights in Switzerland
• CLES - Commission Latine Education SocialeminorOthersLatin Switzerland commission for social education, coordinating professional standards in French-speaking Switzerland
• OST - Ostschweizer FachhochschuleminorOthersEastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, listed as network partner
• pa-ch - Pflegekinder AargauminorOthersCantonal foster care organization in Aargau, focused on placement of children in foster families
• Savoir SocialminorOthersSwiss platform for knowledge management in social work
• Bündner StandardminorOthersGrisons quality standards initiative for child and youth welfare institutions, developed reporting standards
• PestalozziminorOthersPestalozzi Foundation Switzerland, educational and social welfare organization
• Terre des Hommes SuisseminorOthersSwiss branch of international child welfare organization
• youvitaminorOthersYouth welfare organization, listed as network partner
• ZHAW - Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte WissenschaftencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich University of Applied Sciences, represented on Integras board through Thomas Gabriel who leads the Institute for Childhood, Youth and Family
• CIDE - Centre interfacultaire en droits de l'enfant, Université de GenèvecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaculty center for children's rights at University of Geneva, collaborated on MOOC about children's rights with Integras developing Module 6 on child protection
• Institut international des droits de l'enfantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Institute for Children's Rights, co-developed MOOC on children's rights with Integras contributing specialized content
• Schweizer Zentrum für Heil- und SonderpädagogikminorOthersSwiss Center for Special Needs Education, represented in Integras Advisory Board through Romain Lanners as Director
• HSA FHNW - Hochschule für Soziale ArbeitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFHNW School of Social Work, co-organizes annual Gruppendynamik & Soziale Arbeit conference with Integras
• Social Team Academy (STA)minorOthersTraining organization for social work teams, conducted specialized afternoon session on pedagogy implemented by STA students

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CURAVIVA: Swiss association of care institutions for the elderly and people with disabilities. Broader incumbent covering residential care more generally; overlaps with Integras in residential-care standards and quality assurance, but spans a wider institutional universe beyond social/special education.
• EDK / CDIP (Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education): Intercantonal education authority coordinating Swiss education policy. Larger, government-backed body operating across the broader Swiss education ecosystem; Integras engages with EDK as a sector voice but EDK is the regulatory counterpart in special education coordination.

Others

• Caritas Schweiz: Swiss social welfare organization operating across broader humanitarian and social services. Not a professional association, but a comparably sized Swiss nonprofit active in social policy and welfare — relevant as a scale and adjacent-network comparator.
• Pestalozzi-Stiftung: Swiss foundation focused on children's rights, education, and social welfare. Listed as a network partner; structurally different (foundation vs. association) but operates in overlapping child-welfare and education territory in Switzerland.
• Terre des Hommes Suisse: Swiss branch of international child welfare organization. Network partner of Integras with overlapping child-rights focus; larger and internationally oriented, providing scale and internationalization comparison for impact-driven nonprofit operations.

Direct peers

• SAVOIRSOCIAL: Swiss national platform for knowledge management in social work. Listed as a network partner of Integras and operates in the adjacent knowledge-brokering space; both organizations focus on workforce, quality, and standards in the Swiss social sector.
• AvenirSocial: Swiss professional association for social work (Soziale Arbeit Schweiz). Parallel national Fachverband structure serving a broader social-work membership; offers the closest structural comparison to Integras in terms of membership model, advocacy role, and trilingual coverage.
• agogis: Swiss professional association for foster care and adoption. Directly comparable as a national Fachverband focused on out-of-family care in Switzerland; Integras has collaborated with agogis on national research about children in foster families and institutions.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/integras-fachverband-sozial-und-sonderpaedagogik

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Integras Fachverband Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik