The findings, published in the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, revealed that under-16s who had been through the children's hearing system were more likely to obtain a criminal conviction later in life than those who had not. Barnardo's Scotland says this means the system is not stemming the tide of persistent offending.
Tam Baillie, assistant director for policy at Barnardo's Scotland, said: "If the early warning signs are not addressed there is an increased chance that children will reappear offending at a later age."
Susan McVie, senior research fellow for the School of Law at Edinburgh University and co-author of the report, said: "Social service resources have been concentrated on children instead of teenagers and as a result they have been missing out."
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