The maternal assistant is the natural person, certified under the conditions of Government Ordinance no. 27/2024, employed by the general directorate of social assistance and child protection, who ensures at his/her home or, as the case may be, at his/her residence, the upbringing, care, and education of the child during the period of application of the special protection measure of placement, emergency placement for the child separated, temporarily or permanently, from their parents, or, as the case may be, during the respite period of another maternal assistant.

A person who cumulatively meets the following conditions can be certified as a maternal assistant:
a) has reached the age of 21;
b) has graduated from vocational or high school education;
c) through his/her behavior in society and psychological profile provides moral guarantees regarding the upbringing, care, and education of children;
d) the person and the spouse present emotional availability in relationships with children, confirmed following a psychological assessment;
e) the spouse and children over the age of 14 who have the same domicile or, as the case may be, the same residence as the applicant express their agreement regarding the reception of a child/children into the family;
f) has domicile or, as the case may be, residence in a locality with access to educational and medical services for the child/children to be taken in placement and, where applicable, to habilitation/rehabilitation services for a child with disabilities;
g) has the right of use over a dwelling that adequately covers the needs of food preparation, hygiene, education, and rest for its users, including the child/children to be taken in placement and for whom individualized space for rest and doing homework can be assured;
h) at least one of the adult family members earns income, except the applicant, if the applicant lives with one or more members.

Cannot be a maternal assistant the person who finds themselves in the following situations:
a) has exceeded the standard retirement age provided by Law no. 360/2023 regarding the public pension system;
b) has been convicted by a final court decision, for intentional commission of a crime against a person, against authority, justice, corruption, and service, as well as for drug trafficking crimes, regarding the regime on doping substances, performance of illegal operations with precursors or other products likely to have psychoactive effects or is registered with mentions in the National Automated Register regarding persons who have committed sexual offences, exploitation of persons or minors;
c) has in the family members over the age of 14 or other persons living together who have been convicted by a final court decision for a crime in the category provided for in letter b) or are registered with mentions in the National Automated Register regarding persons who have committed sexual offences, exploitation of persons or minors;
d) has been deprived of parental rights by final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights as a complementary punishment;
e) suffers from communicable diseases that could endanger the child's health;
f) has in the family members or other adults living together who suffer from communicable diseases which could endanger the child's health;
g) has a history of violence for which a provisional protection order or, as the case may be, a protection order has been issued, according to the provisions of Law no. 217/2003 for the prevention and combating of domestic violence, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, or according to the provisions of Law no. 26/2024 regarding the protection order, or has in the family members or other adults who live together for whom the mentioned orders were issued;
h) has had or, as the case may be, has one or more natural children in the special protection system;
i) has consented to the adoption of their own child, except where the child was adopted by the spouse;
j) suffers from mental illness, is addicted to alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances, confirmed by medical certificates issued by a specialist doctor;
k) has in the family members or other adults living together who suffer from mental illness, are addicted to alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances, confirmed by medical certificates issued by a specialist doctor;
l) had their maternal assistant certificate withdrawn, except when the certificate was withdrawn at their request.

Persons residing in Dolj county who are interested in becoming a maternal assistant will submit an assessment application for their capacity to become a maternal assistant at the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Dolj in Craiova, Nicolae Titulescu Street no. 22.

The application must specify the number of children for whom the applicant considers that they can simultaneously ensure optimal conditions for upbringing, care, and education, i.e., one or two children, age group, availability to care for sibling groups, children with disabilities, as well as willingness to take in children in emergency situations or during the respite period of another maternal assistant.
The following documents are mandatory annexes to the assessment request:
a) applicant's curriculum vitae;
b) copy, certified by the directorate, of the identity card/ID, long-term residence permit or, as the case may be, permanent residence card of the applicant and, where applicable, of each person living with them;
c) copy, certified by the directorate, of the birth certificate of the applicant and, where applicable, for each person living with them;
d) copy, certified by the directorate, of the marriage certificate or divorce decree/divorce certificate, if applicable;
e) copy, certified by the directorate, of the applicant's diploma;
f) copy, certified by the directorate, of the property title or any other document attesting the right to use the dwelling;
g) judicial record certificate of the applicant and, where applicable, of any person over 14 years old living with them;
h) behavioral integrity certificate of the applicant and, where applicable, of any adult living with them, obtained under the conditions of art. 16 of Law no. 118/2019 regarding the National Automated Register for persons who have committed sexual offences, exploitation of persons or minors, as well as for amending Law no. 76/2008 regarding the organization and functioning of the National System of Judicial Genetic Data, with subsequent amendments;
i) proof of income or other documents certifying the income of the applicant or, as the case may be, of at least one of the adult family members living together;
j) medical certificate issued by the family doctor regarding the applicant's health condition, stating that they do not suffer from communicable diseases, and, where applicable, for each adult person living together;
k) medical certificate issued by a specialist stating that the applicant or, as the case may be, the adult persons living together do not suffer from mental illnesses;
l) authentic sworn statement from which it results that the applicant is not in one of the situations provided for in art. 4, letters d), h), i), and l) of Government Ordinance no. 27/2024;
m) recommendations from neighbors, relatives of the applicant, other community members/people from their social circle, or, as the case may be, from representatives of local public administration authorities, regarding the social behavior of the applicant and, where applicable, of the family members they live with.

The expenses required to obtain all documents accompanying the application for assessment are borne by the applicant.

The assessment application is resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration at the directorate.

The requested assessment is carried out by a team from the directorate consisting of a psychologist and a social worker, the latter usually also having the responsibility of drawing up the final report, and includes the following steps:
a) social assessment;
b) psychological assessment.
After the social and psychological evaluation, for the preparation to exercise the activity of a maternal assistant, the applicant participates in training courses. The training courses are not required for the applicant who is a university graduate in social work, psychology, or educational sciences.
After completing the evaluation stages and preparation for carrying out the activity of a maternal assistant, the members of the evaluation team draft the final assessment report of the capacity to take care of one or, as the case may be, several children.
The applicant who received the report with the proposal for issuing the certificate submits to the Directorate a request to the child protection committee for issuing the certificate of maternal assistant, which is resolved within 30 calendar days from the registration date at the directorate.
The child protection committee, following the analysis of the final report presented by one of the evaluation team members and the hearing of the applicant, decides by a reasoned decision regarding the approval or, as the case may be, rejection of the issuance of the maternal assistant certificate. The certificate of maternal assistant is an annex to the decision of the child protection committee.
The maternal assistant certificate is issued for an indefinite period and is validated every two years based on an evaluation carried out by a team consisting of a social worker and a psychologist.