Kate McElroy-Hjelm

Professional Child Welfare Experience: Since 2006
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

As the Center’s Data Specialist and Program Area Lead for Child Welfare Information Systems, Kate McElroy-Hjelm supports all aspects of service delivery to child welfare agencies and resource development in the areas of continuous quality improvement (CQI), the effective use of data, information system use and development, and data sharing. Previously, Ms. McElroy-Hjelm worked as a State/Territory Liaison at the Center. In that role, she facilitated states’ work with the Center and developed policies and procedures for service delivery to states and territories.

Ms. McElroy-Hjelm has over 16 years of experience in the child welfare sector. She has provided technical assistance and capacity building services to public child welfare agencies with a focus on helping agencies to improve their CQI systems, use of data for decision-making, compliance with federal data reporting requirements, and development of information systems that support staff in jurisdictions and collect critical information to monitor program improvement.

As a Project Manager/Child Welfare Data Specialist at the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology (2004–2015), she provided training and technical assistance to states, tribes, and territories on the effective use of child welfare data to improve outcomes. She also supported title IV-E agencies in the accurate collection, reporting, and use of data—including federal datasets (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, and  National Youth in Transition Database)—and supported the Children’s Bureau Division of State Systems in monitoring Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information Systems (SACWIS).