The Sentencing Advisory Council found that more children sentenced in regional areas in Victoria had had contact with the child protection system than those in Melbourne, and were more likely to be younger at the time of their first sentence.

It was also uncovered that the vast majority of children in Victoria who had contact with both the justice and child protection systems had been the subject of a child protection report before they committed their first offence - 94 per cent.

"I'm not surprised there's an overlap between the two," Anglicare Victoria's Francis Lynch said.

Mr Lynch said children coming into contact with the child protection system were from very vulnerable families, and for whom there were concerns about their parents' ability to care for them.

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He said children in these situations could have parents who were neglectful or did not supervise them, which could lead them into trouble with the law.

"Young people who are roaming around unsupervised can end up getting into networks, groups of young people trying to find things to do," he said.

"Young people trying to find things to do can sometimes find the wrong things to do."

Sentencing Advisory Council deputy chair Lisa Ward said most children who had contact with child protection did not end up in the youth justice system, but for those that did, their trauma could contribute to their offending.

Mr Lynch said a lot of children in residential care also come to the notice of police because of the nature of the system.

If a child had an outburst and threw a plate in residential care, he said, that had to be reported to police; but if that had happened in a child's own home, their parents would likely not call the authorities.

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Mr Lynch said this meant that relatively minor transgressions could become criminalised in the child protection system.

As to why children in regional areas more commonly had contact with both the child protection and youth justice systems, Mr Lynch said young people were very visible and more obvious than in cities.

He said he thought that played a role, as children in smaller communities were more likely to be known by other residents of their towns.

The Sentencing Advisory Council also found that most children from out-of-home care backgrounds who entered the youth justice system had had multiple carers.

"Young people with a number of carers are more likely to be more traumatised, more unsettled in their behaviour," Mr Lynch said.

He said this was probably because the experience of moving around led to more unsettled behaviour, rather than the child's behaviour leading to more placements.

Ms Ward said targeted programs for children who have experienced trauma and more support for children entering out-of-home care were key crime prevention strategies.

"The impact of trauma on a child's ability to comply with an order and refrain from further offending should be a key consideration at sentencing and at other points in the criminal justice system," she said.

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