BEIJING — China will build more welfare facilities to provide care services for juveniles in need, including “left behind” children, the top economic planner said on Jan 17.

The term “left-behind” describes rural children whose parents are away from home, usually working in the cities, left in the care of grandparents, other relatives or neighbors.

China has 9 million left-behind children, mostly in underdeveloped central and western regions, according to a government census conducted last year.

In the next five years, more child care facilities will be established in areas with populations over 500,000, according to the 2016-2020 plan on improving social welfare released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The plan said these welfare facilities will provide temporary guardianship for “left behind” children and children in trouble.