HOW IT WORKS

The Evaluation Process, Start to Finish

Knowing what to expect reduces anxiety. Here’s exactly how working with SurroStudy unfolds.

Step 1

Intake & Scheduling

You (or your agency) complete our secure online intake form. We review your information and reach out to schedule your evaluation interview.

What We Need

We provide transparent pricing upfront. Payment is typically required before scheduling to secure your evaluation date.

Log in to add the referral for the SurroStudy that is needed. Once submitted, we review your information and reach out to schedule your evaluation.

Step 2

Interviews & Information Gathering

We conduct comprehensive interviews via secure video conferencing).

Discussion of your journey to surrogacy
Assessment of understanding regarding the process, timeline, and potential challenges
Review of your support systems, resources, and preparedness
Education about surrogacy arrangements, legal frameworks, and parenting via surrogate
Questions about household stability, relationships, and family dynamics
Discussion of expectations and communication with surrogates

Discussion of your previous pregnancy experiences
Assessment of understanding regarding the gestational carrier role
Evaluation about informed consent and decision-making
Review of support systems, household stability, and partner involvement
Discussion of boundaries, expectations, and communication style
Education about medical procedures, legal frameworks, and potential challenges

Most evaluations involve 1–2 hours of interview time, sometimes split across multiple sessions depending on complexity and scheduling needs.

For intended parents: Individual or joint interviews depending on family structure. Sometimes both partners may be interviewed separately or together. You will complete a detailed intake questionnaire.

For gestational carriers: An individual interview with the carrier and often a separate conversation with her partner, if applicable.

For Power of Attorney: You will have a short interview designed to help hospitals feel comfortable releasing the baby into your care.

During or after interviews, we review relevant documentation:

Previous home studies or evaluations
Background check results (if provided by your agency)
Medical records summary (as relevant to home evaluations assessment)
Letters of reference (if required by your jurisdiction)
Financial documentation (if required for your specific situation)

Not all evaluations require all documents. We tailor requirements to your specific circumstances and jurisdiction.

Step 3

Evaluation & Assessment

We assess the information gathered according to professional standards, ethical guidelines, and applicable legal requirements.

We’re evaluating several things:

Informed consent: Do you genuinely understand that your home environment is safe, stable, and appropriate to have a child?
Preparedness: Are you and other members of your family emotionally, practically, and relationally ready for raising children?
Risk awareness:Do you understand potential challenges and have plans to address them?
Support systems: Do you have the people and resources needed to provide a healthy home structure before, during, and after the journey?
Communication: Can you maintain appropriate relationships with the other parties?
Compliance: Does your situation meet the requirements of a professional, thorough and independent recommendation that can be relied on by legal professionals for filing in the proper court for an order issuing parentage?

We’re not diagnosing mental health conditions (if that’s needed, it’s a separate clinical evaluation). We’re not making medical determinations. We’re not deciding whether you “deserve” to proceed. We’re assessing readiness for surrogacy specifically, documenting what we find, and providing that documentation to appropriate parties.

Based on the evaluations of the information gathered as well as the virtual SurroStudy, a report, tailored specifically for surrogacy, will be produced. This final report provides a comprehensive summary and a professional recommendation from a SurroStudy Certified Licensed Social Worker.

Step 4

Report Preparation & Delivery

We prepare a comprehensive written report documenting the evaluation, findings, and any recommendations.

Summary of individuals evaluated and their circumstances
Description of evaluation methods and information reviewed
Assessment findings across relevant domains
Documentation of informed consent and understanding
Summary of preparedness, risks, and support systems
Recommendations (if any) regarding readiness or next steps
Compliance statement regarding applicable standards

Professional but readable. We write for multiple audiences—attorneys who need legal defensibility, agencies who need practical information, and families who need to understand what we documented about them.

We avoid jargon where possible. We explain our reasoning. We document thoroughly without being unnecessarily verbose.

Reports are delivered electronically to you and/or your designated representatives (agency, attorney, clinic). Timing depends on evaluation complexity but is typically within 1 week of completing interviews.

Reports contain sensitive information. We only share them with parties you’ve authorized. We maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with applicable privacy laws and professional ethics.

Step 5

Follow-Up & Supplemental Documentation

Sometimes you need clarification, updates, or additional documentation after the initial report is delivered.

Attorney or agency requests specific clarification about findings
Circumstances change and addendum report is needed
Court requires updated documentation for parentage proceedings
Additional jurisdictions need evaluation for international arrangements
Questions arise during legal or matching processes that require evaluator input

Sometimes you need clarification, updates, or additional documentation after the initial report is delivered.

We’re available for reasonable follow-up communication at no additional charge for simple clarifications. Substantial additional work (new interviews, addendum reports, court testimony) involves additional fees, which we discuss upfront.

Special Circumstances

We work with families of all types, from all backgrounds, and across all borders.

International Families

We’ve worked with intended parents from dozens of countries. We understand that you may need documentation
formatted for multiple jurisdictions, that translation may be required, and that timelines can be complicated by travel and immigration requirements.

We tailor our reports to meet both U.S. and home country requirements where possible. We can coordinate with your international legal team to ensure documentation meets everyone’s needs.

LGBTQ+ Families

Same-sex couples, transgender intended parents, and non-binary individuals are welcome here. We’re aware of the additional legal complexity you may face in some jurisdictions and the discrimination you may have encountered elsewhere in your journey.

Our evaluation process is the same regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Families are families.

Single Parents

Solo intended parents face unique considerations—the entire burden of parenting falls on one person, support systems become even more critical, and some jurisdictions add legal hurdles. We assess single-parent readiness with those factors in mind, but without bias against solo parenthood.

Repeat Parents

If you’ve been through this before, we streamline the process. Previous evaluations inform our work, and we focus on what’s changed rather than rehashing everything.

What Sets Our Process Apart

No Pressure

We’re not trying to move you toward any particular decision. If you need to slow down, address concerns, or reconsider surrogacy altogether, that’s entirely up to you.

Education Embedded

Evaluation isn’t just assessment—it’s an opportunity to ensure you truly understand what you’re getting into. We explain as we go.

Neutral Territory

You’re not being evaluated by someone with a financial stake in your match, your treatment, or your legal proceeding. That independence matters.

Professional Respect

We treat this work—and you—seriously. No condescension, no unnecessary intrusion, no judgment on factors irrelevant to surrogacy readiness.