About the assistance measure

The assistance measure allows a person experiencing a difficulty to be assisted free of charge by one or two people of their choice. Officially recognized by the Curateur public, the assistants to the person of full age can help the person:

• take care of themselves;
• make decisions;
• exercise their rights;
• manage their assets (patrimony).

The assistant can then communicate with third parties (government services, financial institutions, businesses, service providers and professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, social workers, lawyers, accountants, etc.) on behalf of the assisted person.

In French:

The assistant can facilitate the communication and actions of the person being assisted in a wide range of day-to-day situations. Depending on the needs and wishes of the person being assisted, they may, for example, communicate with:

• health care professionals to:
  • obtain or provide information to facilitate the medical follow-up of the assisted person;
• service providers (cable, telephone, internet, electricity, etc.) to:
  • verify the details of an invoice to make sure there are no errors or to confirm whether a payment has been made;
• financial institutions and insurers to:
  • verify banking transactions;
• government departments and agencies to:
  • verify the status of a request for benefits or compensation and ensure that there are no missing documents delaying the process.

You can submit your application for recognition of an assistant directly to the Curateur public or to a lawyer or a notary.

Submit an application

One step only

To submit an application for the recognition of an assistant, the person seeking assistance has only one step to take. No need to contact each department or service to authorize their assistant to speak on their behalf.

An official recognition

The assistance measure allows the assistant's name to be entered in the Public register of assistants. Using this register, those involved will be able to validate the official recognition of the assistant.

A voluntary measure without court proceedings

The person files the application with the Curateur public on a voluntary basis and may stop it at any time. No legal proceedings are necessary. No medical or psychosocial assessment is required. The assistance measure allows the person being assisted to continue to exercise all their rights and to control their decisions and assets.

A reliable and safe measure

Several means are in place to prevent potential abuse and neglect, including criminal background checks on the proposed assistant.

Join the free webinar Tout savoir sur la mesure d’assistance (in French)

The Curateur public offers online information sessions specifically about the new assistance measure as part of its webinar series Mieux protéger. To participate, simply sign up for one of the scheduled sessions.

Sign up for the webinar