Information Page for Government Agencies

Government agencies can find information here about the objectives of the social platform, options for integration and reuse in accordance with the EfA regulations, and the relevant points of contact.

Are you interested in reusing the social platform? Please contact your point person!

Contents of this page

The information pages for government agencies provide all general information about the social services platform and how your agency can connect to the online services.On this landing page, you’ll find the following content:

  1. The Social Platform – In a Nutshell
  2. Features and Functionalities
  3. Project Participants and Process
  4. Contacts for Connection and Subsequent Use
  5. Contact Information for State-Specific Inquiries
  6. Further Information on Connectivity

1. The Social Platform – In a Nutshell

To prevent citizens in different life situations from having to navigate multiple portals, the social services platform provides direct, centralized online access to social benefits related to employment and retirement—all in one place. 

 

It makes it easy to access counseling services and apply for social benefits digitally—the platform is intuitive to use and accessible to all. In addition, the information pages are available in multiple languages.

2. Features and Functionalities

3. Project Participants and Timeline

Throughout the course of the project, a large number of users and funding agencies at all federal levels were involved. At the heart of this participation is the project’s steering committee, consisting of the members (one representative from each participating state), the chair (North Rhine-Westphalia in its role as the operating state), additional guests (the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, municipal umbrella organizations, and the Federal Association of Independent Welfare Organizations), and advisory members (representatives of the operating state, the GKSt, and the publisher of XSozial). The steering committee meets at least twice a year. 

During the project phase through the end of 2023, the permanent members of the steering committee have nominated subject matter experts on OZG implementation from their respective federal states to collaborate on the technical development of the digital applications. Through regular dialogue with representatives of municipalities and counseling centers, as well as working groups with umbrella organizations and the operators of counseling centers, the requirements and proposals for establishing and expanding the social platform are discussed and incorporated. 

The social platform has been in regular operation since 2024. Technical expertise is provided by the editorial network. Subject matter experts from the participating federal states share responsibility for reporting necessary amendments to the law and for contributing to the development of changes to the application process.

User involvement was ensured through user testing and iterative feedback loops throughout the entire project. This provided insights for the continuous improvement of user-centered design.

4. Contacts for Transportation and Post-Development Use

The following federal states make use of the Social Platform's integration and municipal support services:

  • Brandenburg
  • Bremen
  • Hamburg
  • Hesse
  • North Rhine-Westphalia
  • Saxony
  • Saxony-Anhalt
  • Schleswig-Holstein

 

Relevant agencies from these federal states are welcome to contact the Social Platform directly (anbindung@sozialplattform.info).

 

Competent authorities in federal states not listed here should contact the state’s designated representativedirectly .

For questions specific to a particular federal state—such as those regarding funding regulations—you may contact the coordinating office in your state.

5. Contact Information for the Coordinating Agencies in the Federal States

6. More information on connectivity

Subsequent use & costs

This page explains the legal and technical background as well as the costs of connecting to the social platform.

Interfaces & connection

General information on the connection, the possible connection variants and the process from the expressed interest in subsequent use to the actual connection.

Click-through prototypes of application flows

Click-dummies are an easy way to get a sense of the application processes on the social platform.

References

Experience reports from managers at other authorities who have decided to connect to the social platform.

Download area

In this section you will find further information on the social platform and connection as downloadable documents.

Data protection

Information on data protection on the social platform.