Welcome!

The Austrian Association of Social Work (OBDS) and the International Federation of Social Work Europe (IFSW)  invite you to attend the conference in Vienna in September 2019!

Programm (will be updated)

Organisational Team

Welcome Message
of President of the Austrian Association of Social Work
Mr. Alois Pölzl

Dear Colleagues,

We, the Board of OBDS, are looking forward to welcoming you to the 2019 IFSW European Conference in Vienna. 

Its motto is “Social Protection and Human Dignity”, and it points out that political changes are challenging both our profession and our societies. Colleagues from all over Europe will get together in Vienna for a lively exchange of views and fruitful discussions. Social work will stand up for a society that pays respect to every single person and struggles for inner cohesion and supportive communities. 

Main impulses will arise from the Plenary Sessions at the beginning and at the end of the Conference. Keynotes and Paper Sessions at the main venue will reflect the broad spectrum of social work. A Students Congress embedded in the Conference, will be taking place at the local University of Applied Sciences. 

Of course, we will show you Vienna, our wonderful city, but we will also guide you to the places where social work is provided and practiced. There, we will obtain expert lectures and hold discussions to respond to the challenges in question and to find professional answers at 21st century level. 

You will find ample opportunities for personal interaction and cultural enrichment throughout the city and during the Conference´s social program. 

The preparatory team and the Board of OBDS are wishing you every success in your day-to-day work anywhere in Europe – or elsewhere in the world. And we will give a warm welcome to all of you then in Vienna, in September 2019 – which is where history meets the future.

DSA Mag. Alois Pölzl
Chair of OBDS and team