On any given night across Australia, almost 1,000 children — some as young as 10 — are in detention, a new study shows.

The newly released Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report states there has been a rise in the number of children incarcerated in Victoria.

However, there have been small reductions in New South Wales, the ACT and Western Australia.

Rates in other states and in the Northern Territory have remained stable.

The Youth Detention Population in Australia 2017 report analysed four years' worth of data from youth detention facilities across Australia, from the June 2013 quarter to the June 2017 quarter.

It found there were 964 young people, aged 10 and over, in detention on an average night in the June quarter. The majority — 91 per cent — were male.

About two-thirds of children in detention were unsentenced, meaning they were awaiting the outcome of their court matter or sentencing.

Data from the Youth Detention Population in Australia 2017 report. ( Supplied: Australian Government )

The NT had the highest rate of 10-17 year-olds in detention on an average night during the June quarter of 2017, with 17 kids per 10,000 behind bars.

This compares to Victoria, which had the lowest rate at 2.1 young people in detention per 10,000.

More than half (53 per cent) of young people in custody were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

"That means that Indigenous young people are 24 times as likely as non-Indigenous to be in detention," AIHW spokesman David Braddock said.

He said that in WA, 72 per cent of youth detainees were Indigenous.

Detention putting kids through 'university of crime': Amnesty

Amnesty International's Indigenous rights advisor Rodney Dillon wants to see a national plan of action from the Commonwealth Government.

"The states haven't been capable of looking after our kids," he said.

"We've seen what's happened in Don Dale in the NT [and] at Cleveland Detention Centre in Queensland.

Amnesty International's Rodney Dillon wants to see more diversionary programs introduced throughout Australia. ( ABC News: Sam Ikin )

"In Victoria they've put kids into Barwon prison, one of the hardest prisons in Australia. At Banksia Hill detention facility in WA we've had issues there.

"I don't know how much we understand or care about when we lock kids up in solitary confinement [and] the long-term affect that has on our children.

"When they come out, they don't care too much for anyone after they do that."

Mr Dillon wants to see more diversionary programs introduced, citing the example of a demolition derby program run by police in WA's Mid West.

"If kids break the law we need to have better diversionary programs rather than encouraging them to go back into the university of crime.

"We've seen some good programs that the police have done, such as demolition derby where at-risk kids and police prepare cars.

"We need more of these sorts of programs."

Indigenous youth more likely to go to court: WA auditor-general

A report released this month by WA's auditor-general Colin Murphy found that authorities are missing opportunities to help young people avoid court.

On average, just 35 per cent of offences committed by Indigenous youth in WA were referred for diversion, compared with 45 per cent for non-Indigenous youth.

Last December, WA's Commissioner for Children and Young People published a report stating that "dysfunctional home lives" were fuelling youth crime and must be tackled with support and intervention for troubled parents and families.

Commissioner Colin Pettit's report, Speaking Out About Youth Justice, was based on detailed interviews with 92 young people in detention or on community-based supervision orders.

In the report, a 17-year-old male spoke about how he felt he had been pigeonholed by society.

"People — pretty much society — look at us criminals as dangerous people when we do what we do," he said.

"You know, we [are] only dangerous as a result of how people treat us. Monsters are not just monsters like that. Monsters get created first."

No crime during school holiday program

Scott Herring, men's co-ordinator for the Yiriman Project in the Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing, said diversionary programs could have a tremendous effect on participants.

Mr Herring says the Yiriman Project, an on-country cultural program, has a positive impact on at-risk young people. ( Supplied: Yiriman Project )

"Each year, with the Karajarri Rangers, we run a school holiday camp," he said.

"Following the last one, we got an email from the Bidyadanga police saying that they'd recorded no juvenile crime over the week we had the kids out."

This month Mr Herring has been running a Yiriman and Karajarri Rangers program called Caring for Country.

Nine young people — six boys and three girls — worked with the rangers on activities such as bushfire management, tyre changing, fencing, and turtle monitoring.

"It has made some big changes to some of the kids and for all of the kids there will be changes," Mr Herring said.

Yiriman and Karajarri Rangers have recently run a five-week program called Caring for Country. ( Supplied: Yiriman Project )

He has received positive feedback from family and teachers at the school attended by participants in the program.

"One of the girls, I was talking to the school and they said they've seen outstanding changes in her behaviour and attitude," he said.

"One of the grandmothers spoke about her grandson.

"She believes there's been a massive change; she talked about how that boy has sat down and reflected on his previous behaviour and he's now looking to take responsibility for himself."

While some children might not show immediate changes in behaviour, Mr Herring believes that in years to come, participants might reflect on the experience.

"They're not going to change just from those five weeks but we're certainly giving them a new way of looking at things," he said.

"We've really just got to hope that at some stage, the kids will reflect on this and it will bring about long-term change in their behaviours and attitudes."