PLANB Ruhr e.V.

What PLANB Ruhr e.V. does

PLANB Ruhr gGmbH is a non-profit (gemeinn\u00fctzige GmbH) social services provider headquartered in Bochum, Germany, operating under the umbrella of Parit\u00e4tischer Wohlfahrtsverband NRW. Founded in 2011, the organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of child and youth welfare services under SGB VIII (German Social Code) across more than 27 cities in the Ruhr region and throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. Its service mix spans ambulatory educational assistance, residential care, foster family services, daycare (Kinderwelten), migration and integration support (Zentren der Vielfalt), education and prevention programs, and certified professional training through the PLANB Bildungswerk. The affiliated Vielfalt im Ruhrgebiet (ViR) gGmbH, founded in 2015, specializes in stationary youth welfare, and the PLANB Ruhr Stiftung, established in 2023 and recognized in July 2024, serves as the main shareholder and charitable foundation.

PLANB's core differentiator is its intercultural organizational model: more than 450 staff collectively speak over 30 languages and dialects, enabling culturally sensitive service delivery without external interpreter costs. The organization's technology footprint is minimal, comprising a WordPress website with accessibility tooling (Readabler plugin) and standard operational software for case management. There is no proprietary technology platform, no public API, and no software product. Certifications include WbG NRW, AZAV FB 1/4, ISO 9001, PQ-Sys, and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Revenue is generated primarily through public commissioning contracts with Jugend\u00e4mter (youth welfare offices), municipalities, and regional authorities (LVR, LWL) under SGB VIII frameworks. Services are delivered directly through owned facilities and field staff; no consumer-facing marketing or commercial distribution exists. The marketing-led go-to-motion is institutionally relational, with reach built through professional networks, municipal partnerships, and public relations. The organization has no external institutional investors or private equity backing and operates as a non-profit entity serving children, youth, families, migrants, and women in crisis situations regardless of ethnic, social, or cultural background. Leadership is provided by co-Managing Directors G\u00fclseren \u00c7elebi and Esra Tekkan-Arslan.

Name

PLANB Ruhr e.V.

Legal name

PLANB Ruhr gGmbH

Website

https://planb-ruhr.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PLANB Ruhr gGmbH is a non-profit social services provider in the German Ruhr region delivering child and youth welfare, migration support, daycare, and residential care services under public commissioning. It employs over 450 multilingual staff across 27+ cities in NRW.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child and Youth Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Residential Special Education Programs (EDAKAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transition Services (Secondary to Postsecondary/Employment, Life Skills) (EDAJAKAG), Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO), IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Youth welfare programs
• Family counseling services
• Migration integration support
• Foster care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-funded social services: PLANB's primary revenue comes from contracts with youth welfare offices (Jugendämter), municipal governments, and public social service commissioning bodies under SGB VIII (German Social Code – Child and Youth Welfare). Services such as ambulatory educational assistance, foster care, residential care, migration support, and kindergarten operations are commissioned and reimbursed through public contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PLANB Ruhr is a non-profit provider of statutory child and youth welfare services commissioned by public Jugendämter and municipalities under SGB VIII. It delivers ambulatory educational assistance, daycare (Kinderwelten), residential care for children and youth, foster family services, migration and integration support, school-based education and prevention programs, and certified professional training through its Bildungswerk, all delivered by a multilingual staff of over 450 speaking 30+ languages.

Product overview

PLANB Ruhr is a multi-service social work organization structured as a Trägergemeinschaft (provider community) comprising PLANB Ruhr gGmbH, Vielfalt im Ruhrgebiet (ViR) gGmbH, and PLANB Ruhr Stiftung. The organization offers a coordinated portfolio of social services across the Ruhr area and NRW, built around an inter-cultural competence model and multilingual staffing (30+ languages). The core offerings include ambulatory educational assistance for families in crisis, daycare centers (Kinderwelten), residential child welfare facilities (Villa Dorn, Kinderschutzhaus Sonnenland, Kinderwohngruppe Am Ostbach), foster family programs (Bereitschaftspflege and Westfälische Pflegefamilien), migration and integration services (Zentren der Vielfalt), and education and prevention programs (Bildung & Prävention) for schools, daycares, and youth centers. The affiliated ViR entity provides stationary youth welfare — residential groups (Anker, Solid, Kompass), the Achterwind crisis intake facility, and supported independent living programs — while the PLANB Bildungswerk delivers certified professional training and qualification programs. The PLANB Ruhr Stiftung, established in 2023/2024, funds and coordinates charitable initiatives across these domains. The organization's digital presence is built on WordPress with accessibility features (Readabler plugin), but no public API or software product integrations were identified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kinderwelt: Children's daycare facilities (Kindertageseinrichtungen) operated by PLANB Ruhr under the Kinderwelt brand name
• ViR
• PLANB Bildungswerk
• Villa Dorn
• Kinderschutzhaus Sonnenland
• Kinderwohngruppe Am Ostbach
• Achterwind
• Anker
• Kompass
• Solid
• Phoenix
• Zentren der Vielfalt

Products and services

• Interkulturelle Ambulante Erziehungshilfen Social pedagogical assistance and counseling for children, youth, and families in crisis situations, delivered across multiple municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia with multilingual staff speaking over 30 languages.
• Kindertageseinrichtungen (Kinderwelten) Early childhood education and care facilities (Kitas) operating under the Kinderwelt brand across multiple cities, including family center facilities, focused on child development, educational chances, and nature-based learning environments.
• Stationäre Hilfen für Kinder (Villa Dorn, Kinderschutzhaus Sonnenland, Kinderwohngruppe Am Ostbach) Residential care facilities for children up to 12 years of age, including the Villa Dorn group home in Herne, the Kinderschutzhaus Sonnenland child protection house in Essen-Katernberg, and the Am Ostbach residential group in Herne.
• Pflegefamilien (Bereitschaftspflege & Westfälische Pflegefamilien) Foster family services including emergency reception care (Bereitschaftspflege) for short-term crisis situations and qualified long-term Westphalian foster families (WPF), with inter-cultural matching and certification of foster parents.
• Migration | Integration (Zentren der Vielfalt) Migration and integration support services including anti-discrimination work, intercultural opening of administrative structures, refugee social work, asylum procedure counseling, and support for migration self-organizations, organized under centers of diversity across multiple cities.
• Bildung & Prävention (Trainings, Workshops, JuMaBs, Soziale Gruppenarbeit § 29 SGB VIII) Education and prevention programs for schools, daycares, and youth centers including social skills trainings, workshops, project days, holiday programs, youth welfare measures at educational institutions (JuMaBs), and social group work under § 29 SGB VIII, delivered in multiple languages by a culturally diverse team.
• PLANB Bildungswerk (Fort- und Weiterbildungen, CCTQ, Q-Start) Certified education provider under WbG NRW offering professional development and training for pedagogical staff, including the Conflict Care Trainer qualification (CCTQ), Q-Start qualification for stationary youth welfare workers, and in-house trainings for schools and municipalities.
• Vielfalt im Ruhrgebiet (ViR) – Stationäre Hilfen für Jugendliche Affiliated entity (gGmbH) providing stationary youth welfare services including residential groups (Anker, Solid, Kompass), intake facilities (Achterwind), and supported independent living (SBW) for youth from age 14, many with migration backgrounds or unaccompanied refugee status.
• Inobhutnahme Achterwind Emergency reception and crisis intervention facility with 6 places for adolescents aged 14–17 under §§ 42 and 42a SGB VIII, offering 24/7 care and stabilization support aimed at rapid clarification of the young person's situation and perspective.
• Wohngruppe Anker (Essen-Frohnhausen) Regular residential group for adolescents from age 14 in Essen-Frohnhausen, offering 7 regular placements plus 3 intensive-assisted independent living spaces on a separate floor, operating under §§ 34 and 41 SGB VIII.
• ViR Verselbstständigung (SBW Bochum/Dortmund/Essen, Phoenix) Supported independent living programs under §§ 34 and 41 SGB VIII for youth from age 16, including socially pedagogical supervised living in Bochum, Dortmund, and Essen-Frohnhausen, as well as the Phoenix independent living group.
• PLANB Ruhr Stiftung Charitable foundation pursuing goals including promotion of children and youth from socially disadvantaged families, combating racism and discrimination, support for victims of violence, and civil engagement, operating under civil law with public benefit status; functions as the main shareholder of PLANB Ruhr gGmbH.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband NRW (Der Paritätische NRW)coreOthersPLANB Ruhr gGmbH is a member of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband NRW, one of Germany's largest welfare associations. This membership provides organizational framework, quality standards, and collective representation for social welfare services. The organization displays the Paritätische logo on its website as part of its institutional affiliation.
• Kinder- und Jugendring BochumminorOthersPLANB Ruhr gGmbH is a member of the Kinder- und Jugendring Bochum (Children and Youth Ring Bochum), a coordination body for youth organizations in Bochum.
• Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR)coreOthersLVR is the regional authority for youth welfare in the Rhineland. PLANB's stationary care services are funded and overseen through LVR. The organization is networked with LVR on the regional level.
• Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL)coreOthersLWL is the regional authority for youth welfare in Westphalia-Lippe. PLANB's stationary care services in the Ruhr area are funded and overseen through LWL. The organization is networked with LWL on the regional level.
• Vielfalt im Ruhrgebiet gGmbH (ViR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerViR is the sister organization within the PLANB carrier community (Trägergemeinschaft). While PLANB focuses on ambulatory services, migration, and kindergartens, ViR specializes in stationary youth care (residential groups, supervised living, intake). Both organizations share staff, facilities, and a common mission. PLANB is the majority shareholder of ViR. The two organizations have close operational integration with shared leadership and coordinated service delivery.
• PLANB Ruhr StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PLANB Ruhr Stiftung was founded in December 2023 by PLANB Ruhr gGmbH and ViR gGmbH, and recognized in July 2024. It is the holding entity and main shareholder of PLANB Ruhr gGmbH. The foundation pursues charitable purposes including child welfare, anti-discrimination, and refugee support, complementing the operational work of the two gGmbH entities.
• Jugendämter (Youth Welfare Offices) across NRWcoreOthersPLANB operates under commission from youth welfare offices in Bochum, Dortmund, Herne, Essen, Oberhausen, Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, and other NRW municipalities. These public authorities are the primary commissioning and funding bodies for all of PLANB's services under SGB VIII.
• Stadt Bochum (City of Bochum)majorOthersPLANB collaborates with the Stadt Bochum on various initiatives including the Pflegekinder (foster children) Working Group (Arbeitskreis Pflegekinder), which includes the city and other free carriers to develop and quality-assure foster care services. Jointly organized a theater event for foster children at Prinz-Regent-Theater.
• Aktion MenschminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAktion Mensch is a major German social funding organization. Their logo appears on PLANB's project references page, indicating project funding or partnership support for social initiatives.
• VHS (Volkshochschule) Castrop-RauxelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a project reference on PLANB's website, indicating collaboration on educational projects.
• Various schools and educational institutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPLANB maintains partnerships with schools across the Ruhr region including Gesamtschule Brockmühle, Gesamtschule Nord Essen, Regenbogenschule, and others for social training, workshops, and educational programs. These are listed as project references indicating ongoing educational collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Caritasverband: Caritas is Germany's largest Catholic welfare organization, operating youth welfare, family services, Kitas, and migration support nationally. Overlaps significantly with PLANB's service portfolio under similar SGB VIII commissioning but operates at much larger scale across broader social service categories including elderly and disability care.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Diakonie is Germany's largest Protestant welfare federation, operating child welfare, youth services, migration support, and education across the country. Comparable in mission and SGB VIII commissioning to PLANB but at vastly larger scale and with a much broader service portfolio spanning healthcare, elderly care, and disability services.
• AWO Bundesverband: AWO is one of Germany's six major welfare associations, offering youth welfare, Kitas, family services, and migration support across federal states. Directly comparable to PLANB's core service categories under similar SGB VIII framework, but as a national federation with broader portfolio and stronger union/employee ownership model.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK): DRK is Germany's Red Cross society, operating youth welfare, family support, refugee services, and education programs nationally. Overlaps with PLANB's migration/integration and ambulatory Erziehungshilfen offerings under similar public commissioning, but operates at much larger scale across broader humanitarian and healthcare service categories.

Direct peers

• Outlaw gGmbH: Outlaw gGmbH operates residential youth care, Kitas, ambulatory family assistance, and migration services across Germany as a non-profit Träger. Directly comparable to PLANB's Trägergemeinschaft structure (gGmbH + foundation), service portfolio, and SGB VIII commissioning model.
• SOS Kinderdorf: SOS Kinderdorf operates residential group homes, foster family services, and ambulatory family support across Germany—directly comparable to PLANB's Kinderwohngruppe, Pflegefamilien, and Erziehungshilfen offerings. Both serve youth welfare under SGB VIII with multi-site residential and ambulatory models.
• Internationaler Bund (IB): Internationaler Bund is one of Germany's largest welfare providers, offering youth welfare, migration services, education, and training across multiple federal states. Directly comparable to PLANB's ambulatory Erziehungshilfen, migration/integration services (Zentren der Vielfalt), and Bildungswerk training offerings.
• Der Kinderschutzbund Bundesverband: Der Kinderschutzbund is Germany's largest child protection NGO, providing child welfare, family counseling, and advocacy services nationally. Directly comparable to PLANB's family counseling, parent support, and child protection (Kinderschutzhaus Sonnenland) offerings under similar non-profit and public-sector commissioning structures.

Others

• Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Kinder- und Jugendhilfe: BAG KJH is the German umbrella association for child and youth welfare providers and related professional associations. Comparable to PLANB's membership in Paritätischer NRW—PLANB is positioned within the same policy advocacy and standards-setting ecosystem for German child welfare.

Regional players

• Stiftung Kinderschutz Schweiz: Stiftung Kinderschutz Schweiz operates child protection, family support, and youth welfare services in Switzerland under a comparable cantonal/communal commissioning model. Directly comparable service portfolio to PLANB but operates in a different national/regulatory jurisdiction with similar German-speaking welfare traditions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planb-ruhr-e-v-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PLANB Ruhr e.V.