What Krisendienste Bayern does

Krisendienste Bayern is a publicly funded, statewide psychosocial crisis intervention network operating across all seven administrative districts (Bezirke) of Bavaria, Germany. Launched in March 2021 and coordinated by the Bayerischer Bezirketag, the network operates a unified free 24/7 telephone crisis hotline (0800 655 3000) that automatically routes callers to the nearest of seven regional Leitstellen (call centers). The service delivers four integrated levels of care: telephone counseling and crisis support, mobile on-site crisis interventions dispatched by Fachkräfte, referral to outpatient psychiatric services, and facilitation of inpatient crisis treatment admission. Cross-cutting accessibility features include counseling in over 120 languages via telephone interpreters and, since January 2026, telephone counseling for deaf and hearing-impaired individuals via German Sign Language (DGS) and written interpreting through Tess Relay-Dienste (TeSign and TeScript). The network is mandated by the Bayerisches Psychisch-Kranken-Hilfe-Gesetz (PsychKHG), effective August 2018, which requires the seven Bavarian Bezirke to maintain round-the-clock crisis services. Call routing infrastructure is supported by the three major German telecommunications providers (Telekom, Telefonica, Vodafone), enabling automatic geographic dispatch within Bavaria. The technology stack is intentionally non-proprietary: call center operations, Matomo web analytics, and third-party interpretation services form the technical foundation, with no in-house platform or AI component.

The business model is non-commercial and entirely publicly funded. Two funding streams are identified: the Free State of Bavaria has contributed approximately 67 million EUR cumulatively for the seven Leitstellen (call centers), with 11 million EUR planned for 2026 alone, while the seven Bavarian Bezirke collectively spend approximately 18 million EUR annually for mobile crisis teams and other operational costs. All services are provided free of charge to callers under the PsychKHG mandate. GTM motion is community-led and centered on the unified free hotline, supplemented by referral networks (Caritas, Diakonie, AWO, Dr. Loew Soziale Dienstleistungen, police, healthcare providers) and a destigmatization campaign ('Mut in der Krise') launched in March 2026 in partnership with Mutmachleute e.V. Service usage has scaled materially since launch: call volumes rose from 53,899 in 2021 (partial year) to 109,147 in 2025, and mobile deployments increased from 2,340 to 4,292 over the same period, indicating sustained demand growth.

The organization serves as the only statewide, comprehensive, free-of-charge psychosocial crisis hotline in Germany, addressing the critical gap where people in acute psychological crises previously had no qualified, round-the-clock first point of contact. Its go-to-market approach emphasizes reach and accessibility rather than commercial promotion, with service distribution exclusively via telephone (plus online counseling in Mittelfranken only). Key strategic partners include the seven Bavarian Bezirke (organizing and funding entities), telecommunications providers for routing, welfare organizations for mobile teams, and police for joint crisis response protocols. Customer concentration is High on the payer side (two public sources), while user base is broad and decentralized across Bavaria's approximately 13 million residents.

Name

Krisendienste Bayern

Legal name

Bayerischer Bezirketag, Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts

Website

https://krisendienste.bayern

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Krisendienste Bayern is a publicly funded statewide mental health crisis network in Bavaria operating the free 24/7 hotline 0800 655 3000 under the PsychKHG mandate, serving individuals in crisis, families, and professionals via telephone counseling, mobile teams, and psychiatric referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Crisis Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Mental health crisis services
• Psychosocial crisis counseling
• Crisis intervention hotline
• Mobile crisis response
• Deaf crisis counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding — State of Bavaria: The Free State of Bavaria funds the seven crisis call center Leitstellen. The State Ministry of Health has contributed approximately 67 million euros cumulatively for the costs of the seven Leitstellen, with 11 million euros planned for 2026 alone. Funding is mandated by the Bayerisches Psychisch-Kranken-Hilfe-Gesetz (PsychKHG).
2. Public Funding — Bavarian Bezirke (Districts): The seven Bavarian Bezirke (districts) fund the mobile crisis response teams, all other operational costs, and network-building activities. The districts collectively spend approximately 18 million euros annually for this purpose.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Krisendienste Bayern is a publicly funded network of seven regional psychosocial crisis services providing free, 24/7 telephone crisis counseling and mobile crisis intervention across all Bavarian districts via the unified hotline 0800 655 3000. The service is mandated by the Bavarian Mental Health Assistance Act (PsychKHG) and offers support in over 120 languages, German Sign Language, and via mobile teams dispatched to the location of a crisis.

Product overview

Krisendienste Bayern is a network of seven regional psychiatric crisis services organized by the Bavarian Bezirke (districts). The organization provides a unified, free-of-charge crisis intervention service accessible via the single phone number 0800 655 3000. The core product portfolio consists of four integrated service levels: (1) Telephone Counseling and Crisis Support offering immediate telephone intervention, (2) Mobile On-Site Interventions deploying teams to crisis locations, (3) Referral to Outpatient Crisis Care connecting individuals to appropriate community-based services, and (4) Referral to Inpatient Crisis Treatment facilitating hospital admission when needed. Cross-cutting accessibility services include multilingual counseling in over 120 languages and dedicated counseling for deaf and hearing-impaired individuals via German Sign Language and written interpreting. The seven regional services (Unterfranken, Oberfranken, Mittelfranken, Oberpfalz, Schwaben, Oberbayern, and Niederbayern) operate as a unified network while maintaining regional structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telephone Counseling and Crisis Support (Telefonische Beratung und Krisenhilfe) Round-the-clock telephone crisis counseling service providing initial relief, listening, situation clarification, and orientation for individuals experiencing psychological crises, family members, and support persons in Bavaria. Available 24/7, 365 days a year, free of charge.
• Mobile On-Site Interventions (Mobile Einsätze vor Ort) Mobile crisis intervention teams dispatched by Leitstellen to the location of the crisis when telephone counseling is insufficient. Focuses on de-escalation, danger assessment, and facilitating next steps. Mobile deployments grew from 2,340 in 2021 to 4,292 in 2025.
• Referral to Outpatient Crisis Care (Vermittlung in ambulante Krisenhilfe) Referral service connecting callers to appropriate outpatient mental health services, including psychiatric outpatient clinics, local psychiatric practices, and community social psychiatry services (Sozialpsychiatrische Dienste). Short-term appointment scheduling in nearest psychiatric ambulance is facilitated.
• Referral to Inpatient Crisis Treatment (Vermittlung in stationäre Krisenbehandlung) Facilitation of admission to crisis or acute psychiatric units at hospitals when temporary inpatient treatment is the appropriate path to overcoming a crisis. The service supports finding beds in psychiatric clinics across Bavaria.
• Multilingual Crisis Counseling (Über 120 Sprachen) Telephone crisis counseling available in over 120 languages through interpreter services, enabling non-German-speaking residents of Bavaria to access mental health crisis support.
• Counseling for Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Individuals (Beratung für Gehörlose) Telephone crisis counseling for deaf individuals via German Sign Language (DGS) and written interpreting (Schriftdolmetschung) through Tess Relay services (TeSign and TeScript), providing barrier-free mental health support. Launched January 2026.
• 0800 655 3000 Unified Crisis Hotline The unified, free-of-charge telephone number connecting callers across Bavaria to their regional crisis service center, operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Callers must be physically in Bavaria (mobile or landline).

Quantifiable outcome

• Call volumes grew from 53,899 (2021, 10 months) to 109,147 (2025), representing a ~102% increase over four years.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bundespolizeidirektion München (Federal Police Directorate Munich)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2024Krisendienste Bayern and the Bundespolizeidirektion München signed a cooperation agreement to improve joint response for people in psychological distress, aiming for early, qualified intervention to prevent crisis escalation. Signed by Franz-Xaver Vogl, Vice President of the Federal Police Directorate Munich.
• Polizeipräsidium Oberfranken, Träger der Freien und Öffentlichen Wohlfahrtspflege OberfrankencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2022Bezirk Oberfranken, Polizeipräsidium Oberfranken, and welfare organization partners (AWO, Diakonie Bayreuth, Diakonie Coburg, Diakonie Hochfranken, Diakonie Selb-Wunsiedel, Dr. Loew Soziale Dienstleistungen, SkF Bamberg) signed a cooperation agreement to formalize collaboration on crisis response in Upper Franconia.
• Polizei Oberpfalz (Police Upper Palatinate)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2022Krisendienst Oberpfalz gGmbH and the Polizeipräsidium Oberpfalz signed a cooperation agreement for joint crisis response. Police can contact the crisis service when responding to psychiatric emergencies (with the affected person's consent), enabling de-escalation and reducing the need for forced interventions. Since March 2021, there have been approximately 100 joint contacts.
• medbo (Medizinische Einrichtungen des Bezirkes Oberpfalz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2021medbo and Krisendienst Oberpfalz gGmbH signed a cooperation agreement to establish an outpatient psychosocial crisis intervention system in the Upper Palatinate. The goal is to improve care for people in psychiatric crises by creating a system that provides qualified immediate help regardless of the cause or type of crisis, and to reduce inpatient stays and involuntary commitments.
• Landeshauptstadt München (Social Department / Sozialreferat), Verbände der WohnungslosenhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2021Krisendienst Psychiatrie Oberbayern signed a cooperation agreement with the City of Munich's Sozialreferat and homelessness organizations (Katholischer Männerfürsorgeverein München, Internationaler Bund, Diakonisches Werk Rosenheim) to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation for people in social and psychiatric crises in Munich.
• kopfhoch (Online- und Telefonberatung für Jugendliche bis 21, Oberpfalz)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2021kopfhoch, an online and telephone counseling service for young people up to age 21 in the Upper Palatinate (run by Deutscher Kinderschutzbund KV Regensburg and Mehrgenerationenhaus/Elternschule e.V. Amberg), partners with Krisendienst Oberpfalz. Young people may be referred to kopfhoch's specialized youth counselors, and kopfhoch clients can be referred to the crisis service when needed.
• Horizont – Hilfe bei Suizidgefahr (Regensburg)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2021The suicide prevention counseling center Horizont (run by Diakonie Regensburg and Caritasverband Diocese Regensburg) signed a cooperation agreement with Krisendienst Oberpfalz gGmbH. The partnership focuses on mutual information exchange, referral of people in mental distress, and a goal of reducing involuntary psychiatric commitments per the PsychKHG mandate.
• Freie Wohlfahrtspflege and private providers (Caritas, Diakonie, AWO, Dr. Loew Soziale Dienstleistungen, and others)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2021Mobile on-site crisis interventions are delivered by Fachdienste (specialist services) of the Freie Wohlfahrtspflege (free welfare organizations) and private providers, typically affiliated with social psychiatry services. These include Caritas, Diakonie, AWO, and others. The Bezirke contract with these organizations to provide mobile crisis teams across Bavaria.
• Telekom, Telefonica, VodafonecoreTechnology or IntegrationThree major German telecommunications providers enable call routing for the single statewide crisis number 0800 655 3000. Their cooperation made it possible to introduce a uniform Bavaria-wide phone number that automatically routes callers to their nearest regional Leitstelle.
• Mutmachleute e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Betroffenen-Organisation (affected-persons organization) Mutmachleute e.V. co-initiated the 'Mut in der Krise' campaign with Krisendienste Bayern. The organization provides testimonials and experiential expertise to help destigmatize mental health crises. Tina Meffert, Vorstandsvertreterin, represents the organization in the campaign.
• Bavarian Bezirke (seven regional districts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach of the seven Bavarian Bezirke organizes and funds its own regional crisis service (Leitstelle and mobile teams). Together they form the Krisendienste Bayern network. The Bezirke are the organizing and funding entities under the PsychKHG mandate.
• Stadtwerke MünchenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStadtwerke München (municipal utility company) partnered with Krisendienst Psychiatrie Oberbayern for a poster campaign in public transportation, helping to promote awareness of the free crisis hotline number.
• Bavarian bakery trade (Landesinnungsverband des bayerischen Bäckerhandwerks)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerApproximately 650 bakery locations across Bavaria distributed 350,000 paper bags printed with crisis hotline information as part of the #MutZurHilfe campaign in July 2023.
• GFC-NetCare (Neutrauling)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGFC-NetCare is the IT infrastructure provider for Krisendienst Oberpfalz gGmbH. In addition to providing and maintaining IT systems for the Leitstelle in Schwandorf, GFC-NetCare made a financial donation to the crisis service as a sign of support for its mission.
• Bayerischer BezirketagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bayerischer Bezirketag (Bavarian Association of Districts) is the umbrella organization that coordinates the Krisendienste Bayern network across all seven Bezirke. It manages the central website, press relations, and the 'Mut in der Krise' campaign. The organization is legally responsible for the website (www.krisendienste.bayern) under DSGVO.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WEISSER RING: German victim-support hotline (116 006) providing 24/7 counseling for crime victims and families. Comparable as a publicly recognized, free, Germany-wide crisis helpline with a narrower population focus.
• Telefonseelsorge Deutschland: Nationwide 24/7 free German crisis hotline offering emotional support by phone, email, and chat. Closest direct peer in terms of free, confidential psychosocial crisis support, though Telefonseelsorge is ecumenical rather than psychiatric.
• Nummer gegen Kummer: German children and youth crisis hotline (116111) with online counseling. Directly comparable as a free, publicly supported crisis helpline targeting a specific population segment with similar triage and referral functions.
• Sozialpsychiatrische Dienste (SpDi): Community-based social psychiatric services across German municipalities. Highly comparable in that Krisendienste Bayern refers directly to them and contracts their welfare-organization affiliates for mobile crisis response.

Regional players

• Diakonie Deutschland: Germany's Protestant welfare federation. Like Caritas, Diakonie affiliates operate mobile crisis teams for Krisendienste Bayern; comparable in delivery role and overlap in social-psychiatric service scope.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare organization. Krisendienste Bayern contracts Caritas affiliates to deliver mobile crisis teams in several Bavarian districts — comparable as the operating partner rather than a direct competitor.
• Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns – Bereitschaftsdienst (116 117): Statewide Bavarian medical on-call service. Comparable as a publicly funded, statewide, 24/7 health access point serving the same geography, though focused on somatic rather than psychiatric emergencies.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritans (UK): UK emotional support charity providing 24/7 crisis helpline. Comparable in mission (free, confidential emotional support in crisis) and operating model, though volunteer-led rather than state-mandated.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): US federally mandated 24/7 crisis hotline. Closest international analog in terms of legal mandate, free access, and crisis triage scope; instructive as a peer model for scale and channel expansion.
• NHS 111 (UK): UK's non-emergency health helpline. Comparable as a publicly funded, free, 24/7 telephone triage service with referral pathways, though broader in scope than the Bavarian crisis service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@krisendienstebayern
• Facebookfacebook.com/krisendienstebay
• Instagraminstagram.com/krisendienste_bayern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krisendienste-bayern

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Krisendienste Bayern