General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Dolj*

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 provides, at their home or, as the case may be, at their residence, the upbringing, care, and education of the child during the application period 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 fulfills the following conditions can be certified as a maternal assistant:
a) has reached the age of 21;
b) has graduated from professional or high school education;
c) through their behavior in society and psychological profile presents moral guarantees regarding the upbringing, care, and education of children;
d) the person and their spouse exhibit emotional availability in relationships with children, confirmed after a psychological evaluation;
e) the spouse and children who have reached the age of 14 and 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, medical services for the child/children they will take into placement and, as the case may be, to habilitation/rehabilitation services for the disabled child;
g) has the right of use over a dwelling that adequately covers the needs for food preparation, hygiene, education, and rest of its users, including those of the child/children to be received in placement and for whom an individualized space for rest and homework can be ensured;
h) at least one of the adult family members earns income, except for the applicant, if they live with one or more members.

A person cannot be a maternal assistant if they are 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 intentionally committing an offense against a person, against authority, against the justice system, corruption and service offenses, as well as offenses of drug trafficking, regarding the regime of doping substances, illegal operations with precursors or other products likely to have psychoactive effects, or is registered with notes in the National Automated Register regarding persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons, or against minors;
c) has family members who have reached the age of 14 or other persons living with them, who have been convicted by a final court decision for an offense from the category indicated at lit. b) or are registered with notes in the National Automated Register regarding persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons, or against minors;
d) has been deprived of parental rights by a final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights as an additional punishment;
e) suffers from communicable diseases that could endanger the child's health;
f) has family members or other adult persons living with them, who suffer from communicable diseases that 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 was issued, according to the provisions of Law no. 217/2003 for preventing and combating domestic violence, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, or according to the provisions of Law no. 26/2024 regarding the protection order, or has family members or other adult persons living with them for whom such orders have been issued;
h) had or, as the case may be, has one or more biological children in the special protection system;
i) consented to the adoption of their own child, except in cases where the child was adopted by the spouse;
j) suffers from mental illnesses, is addicted to alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances, confirmed by medical certificates issued by a specialist doctor;
k) has family members or other adult persons living with them who suffer from mental illnesses, 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 if the withdrawal was at their request.

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

The application must obligatorily mention the number of children for whom the applicant considers they can simultaneously provide optimal conditions for upbringing, care and education, i.e. one or two children, age group, availability to care for groups of siblings, children with disabilities, as well as readiness to take on children in an emergency or during the respite period of another maternal assistant.
The following documents must obligatorily be attached to the evaluation request:
a)applicant's curriculum vitae;
b)copy, certified by the directorate, of the applicant's identity card/bulletin, long-term residence permit, or, as the case may be, permanent residence card and, where applicable, for each person living with them;
c)copy, certified by the directorate from the applicant’s birth certificate and, where applicable, for each person living with them;
d)copy, certified by the directorate from the marriage certificate or divorce decree/divorce certificate, if applicable;
e)copy, certified by the directorate from their diploma;
f)copy, certified by the directorate from the property title or any other document attesting the right to use the dwelling;
g)criminal record certificate of the applicant and, where applicable, of each person over the age of 14 living with them;
h)certificate of behavioral integrity of the applicant and, where applicable, of each adult person living with them, obtained under the conditions of art. 16 of Law no. 118/2019 on the National Automated Register regarding persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons or against minors, as well as for completing Law no. 76/2008 regarding the organization and functioning of the National System of Judicial Genetic Data, as subsequently amended;
i)income certificate or other documents attesting the applicant's income or, where applicable, the income of at least one of the adult family members living with them;
j)medical certificate issued by the family doctor regarding the health status of the applicant, stating that they do not suffer from communicable diseases, and, where applicable, of each adult person living with them;
k)medical certificate issued by a specialist stating that the applicant or, as the case may be, the adult persons living with them, do not suffer from mental illnesses;
l)authentic statement on their own responsibility indicating that the applicant is not in one of the situations provided in art. 4 lit. d), h), i), and l) of Government Ordinance no. 27/2024;
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 applicant's social behavior and, where applicable, of family members living with them.

The expenses necessary for obtaining all documents accompanying the evaluation request are borne by the applicant.

The evaluation request provided shall be resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration at the directorate

The evaluation requested by the application is carried out by a team from the directorate consisting of a psychologist and a social worker, the latter generally also being responsible for drawing up the final report, and includes the following stages:
a)social evaluation;
b)psychological evaluation.
After the social and psychological evaluation, to prepare for exercising the activity of maternal assistant, the applicant participates in training courses. Training courses are not attended by the applicant who is a university graduate in social work, psychology or educational sciences.
After completing the evaluation stages and preparation for exercising the activity of maternal assistant, the evaluation team members prepare the final report on the capacity to care for, care for and educate a child or, as the case may be, several children.
The applicant who has received the report with the proposal to issue the certificate submits to the directorate a request addressed to the child protection commission requesting the issuance of the certificate of maternal assistant, which is resolved within 30 calendar days from the date of registration at the directorate.
The commission for child protection, after analyzing the final report presented by one of the evaluation team members and hearing the applicant, pronounces a reasoned decision regarding the acceptance or, as the case may be, rejection of the request for issuing the certificate of maternal assistant. The certificate of maternal assistant is an annex of the decision of the child protection commission.
The certificate of maternal assistant is issued for an indefinite period and is approved every two years based on an evaluation carried out by a team consisting of a social worker and psychologist.