General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Bacau*

The professional foster assistant is the natural person, certified under the law, who provides through their activity carried out at their home the upbringing, care, and education necessary for the harmonious development of the children they receive in foster care.

The person who cumulatively meets the following conditions may be certified as a foster assistant:

a) has reached the age of 21;

b) has graduated from vocational or high school education;

c) through their behavior in society and psychological profile provides moral guarantees regarding the upbringing, care, and education of children;

d) the person and their spouse present emotional availability in relationships with children, confirmed after psychological assessment;

e) the spouse and children who have reached the age of 14 and who have the same domicile or, as the case may be, residence as the applicant express their consent regarding receiving 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 receive in foster care and, as the case may be, to habilitation/rehabilitation services for the child with disabilities;

g) has the right to use a dwelling that adequately meets the needs of food preparation, hygiene, education, and rest for its users, including those of the child/children to be received in foster care and for whom individualized space for rest and doing homework can be provided;

h) at least one of the adult family members generates income, excepting the applicant if they live with one or more members.

A person who is in the following situations cannot be a foster assistant:

a) has exceeded the standard retirement age stipulated by Law no.360/2023 regarding the public pension system;

b) has been sentenced by a final court decision for deliberately committing an offense against a person, against authority, against the administration of justice, for corruption and service offenses, as well as for drug trafficking offenses, offenses regarding controlled substances, for carrying out illegal operations with precursors or other products likely to have psychoactive effects, or is registered with mentions in the Automated National Registry regarding people who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons, or offenses against minors;

c) has family members who have reached the age of 14 or other people living together with them, who have been sentenced by a final court decision for an offense of those mentioned at let. b) or are registered with mentions in the Automated National Registry regarding people who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons, or offenses against minors;

d) has been deprived of parental rights by final court decision or has been prohibited from exercising parental rights, as a supplementary punishment;

e) suffers from communicable diseases, which could endanger the health of the child;

f) has in the family members or other adults living with them, who suffer from communicable diseases, which could endanger the health of the child;

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 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 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 in the situation where the child was adopted by the spouse;

j) suffers from mental illnesses, is dependent on 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 with them, who suffer from mental illnesses, are dependent on alcohol, drugs, or other psychotropic substances, confirmed by medical certificates issued by a specialist doctor;

l) their foster assistant certificate has been revoked, except in situations where the certificate was revoked at their request.

The person who wishes to become a foster assistant submits an evaluation request to the authority in the county where their domicile or, as the case may be, residence is located. The request must obligatorily mention the number of children for whom the applicant considers they can simultaneously ensure optimal conditions for upbringing, care, and education, namely one or two children, the age group, the availability to care for sibling groups, children with disabilities, as well as the availability to take in children in emergency regime or during the respite period of another foster assistant. The following documents must obligatorily be attached to the evaluation request:

a) the applicant's curriculum vitae;

b) a copy, certified by the authority or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the applicant's ID card/identity card, long-term residence permit, or, as the case may be, permanent residence card, and, as the case may be, for each person living with them;

c) a copy, certified by the authority 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) a copy, certified by the authority or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of the marriage certificate or divorce decision/divorce certificate, if applicable;

e) a copy, certified by the authority or, as the case may be, by the applicant, of their diploma;

f) a copy, certified by the authority 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) the criminal record certificate of the applicant and, as the case may be, of each person aged 14 and over living with them;

h) the behavioral integrity certificate of the applicant and, as the case may be, of each adult living with them, obtained under the conditions of art.16 of Law no.118/2019 regarding the Automated National Registry on persons who have committed sexual offenses, exploitation of persons or offenses against minors, as well as for the completion of Law no.76/2008 on the organization and operation of the National Judicial Genetic Data System, with subsequent amendments;

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

j) medical certificate issued by the family doctor on the applicant's state of health, specifying that they do not suffer from communicable diseases, and, as the case may be, of each adult living with them;

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

l) declaration in authentic form on own responsibility showing that the applicant is not in one of the situations provided at art.4 let. d), h), i), and l);

m) recommendations from neighbors, relatives of the applicant, other community members/persons 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, as the case may be, of family members living with them.

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

The evaluation request shall be resolved within 90 calendar days from the date of registration with the authority.