The professional foster carer is the natural person, certified according to the law, an employee of the general directorate of social assistance and child protection, who provides 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 when the special protection measure of placement or emergency placement is applied for a child temporarily or permanently separated from his/her parents or, as the case may be, during the respite period of another foster carer. The conditions that must be cumulatively met by the person who wishes to become a professional foster carer are specified in Ordinance No. 27/01.08.2024 regarding the conditions for obtaining certification, the certification procedure, and the status of the foster carer.

The person who wishes to become a foster carer submits an evaluation request to the directorate in the county or, as the case may be, the sector of Bucharest municipality where he/she resides or, as the case may be, has their residence. The request must obligatorily mention the number of children for whom the applicant considers he/she can simultaneously provide optimal conditions for upbringing, care and education, namely one or two children, age group, availability to care for sibling groups, children with disabilities, as well as availability to take children in emergency or during the respite period of another foster carer. The evaluation request must be accompanied mandatorily by the following documents: a) the applicant’s resume; b) a copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the applicant's identity card, long-term residence permit or, as the case may be, permanent residence card and, if applicable, for each person living with them; c) a copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the applicant's birth certificate and, if applicable, for every person living with them; d) a copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the marriage certificate or the divorce decree/certificate, if applicable; e) a copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the applicant’s diploma; f) a copy, certified by the directorate or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the property title or any other document attesting the right to use the dwelling; g) criminal record certificate for the applicant and, if applicable, for each person aged 14 and over living with them; h) behavioral integrity certificate for the applicant and, if applicable, for each adult living with them, obtained under art. 16 of Law No. 118/2019 regarding the national automated registry of persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons or offenses against minors, as well as for completing Law No. 76/2008 regarding the organization and functioning of the National Judicial Genetic Data System, with subsequent amendments; i) income certificate or other documents attesting the applicant's income or, as the case may be, at least one adult family member living with them; j) medical certificate issued by the family doctor stating the applicant's health status, specifying that they do not suffer from communicable diseases, and, if applicable, for each adult living with them; k) medical certificate issued by a specialist stating that the applicant or, as the case may be, adults living with them do not suffer from mental illnesses; l) declaration in authentic form under their own responsibility stating that the applicant is not in one of the following situations:
- has been deprived of parental rights by a court decision remaining final or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights as a complementary penalty;-
- has had or, as the case may be, has one or more natural children in the special protection system;- has consented to the adoption of their own child, except in cases where the child was adopted by the spouse;- their foster carer certificate has been withdrawn, except in situations where the certificate was withdrawn at their request.m) recommendations from the applicant’s neighbors, relatives, other community members/people from their social circle or, as the case may be, from representatives of the local public administration authorities, regarding the social behavior of the applicant and, as the case may be, of the family members living with them. The expenses required to obtain all the documents accompanying the evaluation request are borne by the applicant. The evaluation request described above is resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration with the directorate.The evaluation requested by the above-mentioned application is carried out by a team appointed by the directorate’s management, consisting of a psychologist and a social worker, the latter usually being responsible for preparing the final report, and consists of the following stages: assessment stage and preparation stage. The assessment stage itself consists of social evaluation and psychological evaluation, which are carried out over at least 4 meetings.The meetings held for the purpose of social and psychological evaluation take place at the applicant's home or at the directorate's office. Each member of the evaluation team is required to conduct at least one of the evaluation meetings at the applicant's home or, as the case may be, residence.

After the social evaluation and psychological evaluation for preparation to exercise the activity of a professional foster carer, the applicant participates in training courses. Training courses are not required for applicants who have graduated from university studies in social work, psychology, or educational sciences.
UAfter completing the assessment stages and preparation for exercising the activity of a foster carer, the evaluation team members prepare the final evaluation report of the capacity to care for, raise, and educate a child or, as the case may be, several children.

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

The applicant who received the report submits a request to the headquarters of the directorate from their residence addressed to the child protection commission, which is resolved within 30 calendar days from registration with the directorate. The foster carer certificate is issued for an indefinite period and is reviewed every two years based on activity evaluation.​