Preventing repeated child sexual abuse in at-risk children
Official title: Never Again: Advancing the Prevention of Recurrent Child Sexual Abuse
Funded at Temple Univ of the Commonwealth · NIH-11398159 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher team is testing new ways to prevent repeated child sexual abuse by analyzing big data from child welfare and law enforcement to guide better prevention efforts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $513,196 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD114586-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11398159 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 who are at risk of or have experienced CSA, and their families, within the Philadelphia region.
✕Less likely to help
If a child is not in contact with the involved child welfare or law enforcement systems, direct benefits may be limited.
What this research studies
This project aims to reduce recurrent CSA by combining data from child welfare and police records with advanced data science. The team will create a linked long-term dataset (2013-2021) and use natural language processing to extract useful information from case notes. By engaging practitioners and administrators, the study seeks to design prevention models that fit real-world child welfare settings and policies. The ultimate goal is to inform targeted, system-level prevention strategies to protect children. The work involves collaboration among Temple University, the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, and the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to more effective prevention strategies that reduce repeated abuse and improve safety for vulnerable children.
How similar studies have gone: This approach builds on data-linkage and mixed-methods strategies that have shown promise in understanding CSA dynamics, but the linked longitudinal dataset represents a novel integration.
Where this research is happening
-
Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kobulsky, Julia — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Kobulsky, Julia
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.