Potential young offenders will be targeted by the cash from the Big Lottery Fund's Realising Ambition programme.

Six of the 25 projects getting the money will work in Scotland, including two which will operate solely north of the Border.

The funding is designed to scale up and roll out approaches which have been proven to improve the prospects of children aged eight to 14, and cut crime.

A mentoring scheme, Plusone, delivered by the YMCA Scotland, will receive £1.2m, having already won awards for the impact it has made in Fife, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire.

Developed in association with police, social work services and the Scottish Government, Plusone recruits and trains volunteers to help vulnerable young children address problems in their lives and get back on track.

Dundee University researchers found the original project brought
about an improvement in the behaviour of 86% of children within six months – including better school attendance and less disruptive behaviour in school.

The additional funding will allow the YMCA to roll out the programme to 10 new locations in Scotland, benefiting a further 875 young people.

Meanwhile, Scotland's Children's Parliament has received an award of £319,965 which will support children in Glasgow aged eight to 14 by linking up with the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV).

This acclaimed initiative has tackled gang violence across Glasgow, by confronting young people with the impact of their crimes at a time when they are most likely to change their habits. The money will allow work with 337 children in schools in north east Glasgow.

Further awards will boost the work of UK initiatives which will have a substantial impact in Scotland. These include Action for Children's short-term family intervention programme, targeting 11 to 14-year-olds who are at risk of being taken into care, or at risk of offending. A £1.5m grant will allow the project to work across Renfrewshire.

The Anne Frank Trust, which works to prevent hate-related offending in young people, will use its £756,478 grant to extend its work to 19 towns and cities including Edinburgh.

Barnardo's is receiving £1.5m to run a Lifeskills Training programme which has proved successful in tackling substance abuse and violence in the United States and will run it in Scottish schools. Barnardo's is also being given £1.6m to run another schools programme aimed at improving student behaviour, academic engagement and peer relationships.