The maternal assistant is the individual, certified according to the law, employee of 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 application of the special protection placement measure, emergency placement for the child separated, temporarily or permanently, from his/her parents or, as the case may be, during the respite period of another maternal assistant. The conditions that a person wishing to become a maternal assistant must cumulatively meet are specified in Ordinance no. 27/01.08.2024 regarding the conditions for obtaining the certificate, the certification procedure and the status of the maternal assistant.

The person who wishes to become a maternal assistant submits an evaluation request to the directorate in the county, or the sector of Bucharest municipality where he/she has domicile or, as the case may be, residence. The request must state the number of children for whom the applicant considers he/she can simultaneously provide optimal conditions for growth, care, and education, namely one or two children, the age group, availability to care for groups of siblings, children with disabilities, as well as the availability to take children in emergency regime or during the respite period of another maternal assistant. The following documents must be attached to the evaluation request:
a) applicant’s curriculum vitae;
b) copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the identity card/passport, long-term residence permit or, as the case may be, permanent residence card of the applicant and, as the case may be, of each person with whom he/she lives;
c) copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the birth certificate of the applicant and, as the case may be, of each person with whom he/she lives;
d) copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the marriage certificate or divorce decision/divorce certificate, if applicable;
e) copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of his/her diploma;
f) copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the ownership title or any other document attesting the right to use the dwelling;
g) applicant’s criminal record and, as the case may be, of each person over 14 years of age with whom he/she lives;
h) behavioral integrity certificate of the applicant and, as the case may be, of each adult with whom he/she lives, obtained according to art. 16 of Law no. 118/2019 regarding the National automated registry for persons who have committed sexual offences, exploitation offences or offences against minors, as well as for the modification of Law no. 76/2008 regarding the organization and functioning of the National System of Judicial Genetic Data, with subsequent amendments;
i) income certificate or other documents attesting the applicant's income or, as the case may be, of at least one of the adult members of the family with whom he/she lives;
j) medical certificate issued by the family doctor regarding the applicant’s state of health, stating that he/she does not suffer from communicable diseases, and, as the case may be, of each adult with whom he/she lives;
k) medical certificate issued by a specialist stating that the applicant or, as the case may be, the adults with whom he/she lives, do not suffer from mental illnesses;
l) authenticated declaration on own responsibility stating that the applicant is not in any of the following situations:
-has been deprived of parental rights by a final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights as a complementary penalty;-
-has had or, as the case may be, has one or more biological children in the special protection system;-has consented to the adoption of his/her own child, except where the child was adopted by the spouse;-the maternal assistant certificate has been withdrawn, except where the certificate was withdrawn at his/her own request.m) recommendations from neighbors, relatives of the applicant, other community members/social circle or, as the case may be, from the representatives of local public administration authorities, regarding the social behavior of the applicant and, as the case may be, of the family members with whom he/she lives. The expenses necessary to obtain all the documents accompanying the evaluation request are borne by the applicant. The evaluation request provided above is resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration with the directorate.The evaluation requested through the aforementioned application is carried out by a team, designated by the management of the directorate, consisting of a psychologist and a social worker, the latter usually being responsible for preparing the final report, and includes the following stages: the evaluation stage and the training stage. The evaluation stage itself includes social evaluation and psychological evaluation which are conducted during at least four meetings. The meetings for social and psychological evaluation take place at the applicant's home or at the directorate’s headquarters. Each team member is required to conduct at least one of the evaluation meetings at the home or, as the case may be, at the residence of the applicant.

After the social and psychological evaluation in view of preparing for the exercise of the activity as a maternal assistant, the applicant participates in the training courses. The applicant who is a graduate of university studies in social work, psychology, or educational sciences does not have to attend the training courses.
UAfter going through the evaluation and preparation stages for carrying out the activity of maternal assistant, the evaluation team members prepare the final evaluation report on the capacity to care, raise, and educate a child or, as the case may be, several children.

The final evaluation report is communicated to the applicant within 10 working days from its registration at the directorate, with acknowledgment of receipt, by mail or electronic mail, at the address indicated by the applicant.

The applicant who has received the report submits a request at the directorate’s headquarters in his/her domicile addressed to the child protection commission which is resolved within 30 calendar days from the date of registration at the directorate. The maternal assistant certificate is issued for an indefinite period and is reviewed every two years based on activity evaluation.​