Information page for authorities

Authorities can find information here on the objectives of the social platform, options for connection and subsequent use in terms of the EfA regulation, as well as the relevant contact persons.

Are you interested in reusing the social platform? Get in touch with your contact person!

Contents of this page

The information pages for authorities provide all the general information on the social platform and on connecting your responsible office to the online services.

On this homepage you will find the following content:

  1. The social platform - short & sweet
  2. Services and functionalities
  3. Participants and course of the project
  4. Contact persons on the topics of connection & subsequent use
  5. Contact options for state-specific concerns
  6. Further information on connectivity

1. the social platform - short & sweet

In order to avoid citizens in different life situations having to deal with different portals, the social platform offers direct and centralized online access to social benefits in the field of work and retirement from a single source.

The provision of advisory services and the application for social benefits are made possible digitally and easily - intuitively usable and barrier-free. In addition, the information pages are available in multiple languages.

2. services and functionalities

3. participants and course of the project

During the course of the project, a large number of users and providers from all federal levels were involved. The core of the participation is the project's steering committee, consisting of the members (one representative from each of the co-using states), the chair (NRW in its role as the operating state), other guests (Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, municipal umbrella organizations and the Federal Association of Non-statutory Welfare) and advisory members (representatives of the operating state, the GKSt and the publisher of XSozial). The steering committee meets at least twice a year.

In the project phase until the end of 2023, the permanent members of the steering committee have nominated experts in the implementation of the OZG from their federal states to contribute to the technical development of the digital applications. Through a regular exchange with representatives of local authorities and advice centers, working groups with umbrella associations and providers of advice centers, the requirements and proposals for the development and expansion of the social platform are discussed and recorded.

The social platform has been in regular operation since 2024. The technical expertise is provided by the editorial network. Technical experts from the federal states using the platform are jointly responsible for reporting any necessary changes to the law and helping to develop the changes to the application process.

User tests and iterative feedback loops throughout the project ensured the continuous involvement of users. This provided indications for the continuous improvement of user centricity.

4. contact persons on the topics of connection & subsequent use

The following federal states make use of the social platform's connectivity and municipal support:

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

Competent authorities from these federal states are welcome to contact the social platform directly (anbindung@sozialplattform.de).

Please contact the contact person of the federal state directly.

For questions specific to your federal state, for example regarding funding regulations, you can contact the coordinating office of your federal state.

5. contact options for the coordinating bodies of the federal states

6. further information on the connection

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.

Prototypes of application routes to click through

Click dummies as an easy way to get an impression of the application routes 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.