Welcome to the Vienna Family Network

Relocating to Vienna with children? Expecting a new baby? We are here for you and offer:

Information – Browse our website and join us to tap into the collective experience of more than 2000 members.

Support – Become part of our community and join informal group meetings and social events.

Friendship – We bring you together with other members going through the same experience to make vital and lasting friendships.

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Join us

Vienna Family Network (VFN) is an English-speaking support network for international parents and parents-to-be living in and around Vienna. We are a non-profit organization, run entirely by volunteers. We are here to make sure you feel connected and supported as we all take on the most challenging and rewarding job in the world.

Open House October

05/10/2023

Welcome to our community of international parents! Interested in learning more about the Vienna Family Network? The VFN Open House is a wonderful opportunity to meet with other international parents living in Vienna and learn more about our membership benefits. We look forward to seeing you at our next Open House! Please let us know who will be joining so we can plan ahead. Our new location is: commonroom, Florianigasse 54, 1080 Wien (Entrance through the glass doors).

Register Now

  • Dear VFN WhatsApp Group,

    It’s been several years now since I joined this group, at which time I was just over halfway through my first pregnancy. Like many of us, I was far away from my family and friends. I felt thrust into an exceedingly complex and bewildering system and was overwhelmed by a language that seemed to mock my attempts at learning it. I was beginning to realise that maternity leave might turn out to be quite lonely and I was anxious that the most challenging moments I was certain to face would be without the support system on which I had always counted before life made other plans.

  • Even though I design children’s clothing, I still find it challenging to shop for my children. It’s not always easy to find durable and comfortable clothes that can last for more than a few months. Unfortunately, a size label is not a reliable indication of how well a garment will fit or how long it will last. In fact, there are several reasons why clothing with the same size label can have vastly different lifespans.

  • The first part of this blog post ended on an uplifting note, but there is also of course a flipside – arising in part from the “invisible” nature of ASD and the difficulties presented by “isolation” can have, in terms of hampering acceptance. Children’s educational experience in childhood shapes their whole life experience, but sadly in some respects, Austria lags somewhat in terms of acceptance in an educational setting.

  • April abounds with content about Autism Awareness. Sadly, increased acceptance is still lagging. ASD diagnoses are now frequently made in childhood, with numbers of diagnoses increasing. A diagnosis during childhood places massive burdens on parents as caregivers. Living abroad can exacerbate the burden further – whether due to not necessarily speaking the local language or struggling to comprehend local attitudes at odds with those elsewhere.