A program to send homeless children back to school has returned 256 children from provinces including Jilin, Hubei and Henan to studies since it was launched in June, Dou Yupei, vice-minister of the Civil Affairs Ministry, said on Wednesday.

The program, which aims to help homeless children under the age of 18 return to school and receive similar educations to their peers, was launched jointly by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and several other ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

According to Dou, local education authorities and schools provide psychological and behavior modification services to the children based on their age and mental and physical situations before returning them to schools.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security encouraged local vocational schools to accept homeless children and offer them practical skills training, and also provides stipends, scholarships and work-study programs for the children, Dou said.

"By cooperating with other ministries and commissions, we have made great progress in helping homeless children back to school, and the progress has reduced the number of children who lead a life of homelessness," he said.