The maternal assistant is a natural person, certified under the conditions of Law no. 323/2024 for the approval of Ordinance no. 27/2024 regarding the conditions for obtaining the certificate, the certification procedure, and the status of the maternal assistant, employed by the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Mehedinti, who, through their activity carried out at their home/residence, ensures the upbringing, care, and education of the child during the period of application of the special protection measure of placement/urgent placement for the child temporarily or permanently separated from their parents or, as the case may be, during the period of transfer to another maternal assistant.

a. Necessary conditions to become a maternal assistant

The person wishing to become a maternal assistant must cumulatively meet the following conditions:

1. to have domicile in Mehedinti county;

2. to be a graduate of vocational or high school education;

3. has reached the age of 21;

4. through their behavior in society and psychological profile, provides moral guarantees regarding the upbringing, care, and education of children

5. the person and spouse show emotional availability in relationships with children, confirmed following psychological evaluation;

6. the spouse and children who have reached the age of 14 and have the same domicile, or, as the case may be, the same residence as the applicant, express their consent regarding receiving a child/children into the family;

7. has domicile or, as the case may be, residence in a locality with access to educational and medical services for the child/children they will receive in placement and, as the case may be, habilitation/rehabilitation services for a child with disabilities;

8. has right ofuse over a home that appropriately covers the needs for food preparation, hygiene, education, and rest for its users, including those of children to be received in placement and for which an individualized rest space and homework area can be provided;

9. at least one of the adult members of the family earns income, except for the maternal assistant, if they live with one or more members

10. has not exceeded the standard retirement age provided by Law no. 360/2023 regarding the public pension system;

11. has not suffered a conviction by final court decision, for intentional crimes against the person, authority, justice, corruption and service crimes, as well as drug trafficking crimes, regarding the regime of doping substances, illegal operations with precursors or other products likely to have psychoactive effects or is recorded with mentions in the national automated registry regarding persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons or against minors;

12. has no family members who have reached the age of 14 years or other people living with me, who have been convicted by final court decision for an offense from the categories provided at letter b), or are recorded with mentions in the national automated registry regarding persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons or against minors;

13. has not been deprived of parental rights by final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights, as a complementary punishment;

14. does not suffer from communicable diseases that could endanger the child's health;

15. has no family members or other adult persons living with them who suffer from communicable diseases that could endanger the child's health;

16. has no history of violence for which a provisional protection order or, as the case may be, a protection order was 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 living with them for whom the aforementioned orders have been issued;

17. has not had or, as the case may be, does not have one or more biological children in the special protection system;

18. has not consented to the adoption of their own child, except in cases where the child was adopted by the spouse;

19. does not suffer from mental illnesses, is not dependent on alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances;

20. has no family members or other adult persons living with them who suffer from mental illnesses, are dependent on alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances;

21. has not had their professional maternal assistant certificate withdrawn, except if the certificate was withdrawn upon request.

Required documents

The person wishing to become a maternal assistant submits an evaluation request to the management of DGASPC Mehedinti.

The evaluation request shall be compulsorily accompanied by the following documents:

a) the applicant's curriculum vitae;

b) 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 cardand, as the case may be, for each person living with them;

c) copy certified by the directorate, or as the case may be, by the applicant, of the applicant's birth certificate and, as the case may be, for each person living with them;

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 their diploma;

f) copy certified by the directorate, or as the case may be, by the applicant, of the title deed or any other document attesting the right to use the home;

g) the applicant's criminal record certificate and, as the case may be, for each person aged 14 or older living with them;

h) the applicant's behavioral integrity certificate and, as the case may be, for each adult person living with them;

i) income certificate or other documents attesting the applicant's incomes or, as the case may be, the incomes of at least one of the adult members of the family living with them;

j) certificate issued by the family doctor regarding the applicant's health, stating that they do not suffer from communicable diseases, and, as the case may be, for each adult person living with them;

k) medical certificate issued by a specialist doctor stating that the applicant, or, as the case may be, the adult persons living with them, do not suffer from mental illnesses;

l) a declaration in authentic form on one's own responsibility showing that the applicant is not in any of the following situations:

- has not been deprived of parental rights by final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights, as a complementary punishment;

- has not had or, as the case may be, does not have one or more biological children in the special protection system;

- has not consented to the adoption of their own child, except where the child was adopted by the spouse;

- has not had their professional maternal assistant certificate withdrawn, except if the certificate was withdrawn upon request.

m) recommendations from neighbors, relatives of the applicant, other members of the community/people from their social circle or, as the case may be, from 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 evaluation request is resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration with the directorate.

After the social and psychological evaluation, for the purpose of preparation for exercising the activity of maternal assistant, the applicant participates in professional training courses, following a curriculum developed by the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption, in collaboration with representatives of the academic environment, which will have a duration of 80 hours, of which 50 hours of theory and 30 hours of practice.

Professional training of maternal assistants is carried out by the directorates, as authorized training providers according to O.G no. 129/2000 regarding adult professional training, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions.

Certification

The applicant who has received the final evaluation report on their capacity to become a maternal assistant with a proposal for the issuance of the certificate submits, at the directorate headquarters of their domicile or, as the case may be, residence, a request addressed to CPC Mehedinti requesting the issuance of the maternal assistant certificate, which is resolved within 30 days from the date of registration with the directorate.

Throughout the evaluation, the person applying for the maternal assistant certificate is obliged to inform the members of the evaluation team regarding any changes that may affect the fulfillment of one or more of the necessary conditions to become a maternal assistant provided in this procedure, attaching supporting documents as appropriate.

CPC Mehedinti, after analyzingthe final evaluation report on the applicant's capacity to become a maternal assistant and hearing the applicant, presented by one of the evaluation team members, decides through a justified decision regarding the approval or, as the case may be, rejection of the request for the issuance of the maternal assistant certificate.. The certificate is annexed to the CPC decision.

CPC may, in justified situations, also hear other persons, from whom it may request additional information it considers necessary for the approval or, as the case may be, rejection of the request for the issuance of the maternal assistant certificate. The maternal assistant certificate is issued for an indefinite period and is validated every two years.