That the number of young people admitted to youth homes, run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, fell to a record low last year indicates the effectiveness of the ministry's preference for helping troubled youth in the community and not in institutional settings such as homes. Of course, it is necessary to have the homes, which are for young people who are in trouble with the law, beyond parental control or in need of care and protection. However, they must act as sanctuaries of last resort, not as default places of residence that put youth problems out of sight for society.

For this philosophy to work, it is essential to remember at least two reflections on the nature of familial life. One is the African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. The other is the Russian writer Tolstoy's declaration that "happy families are all alike" but "every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way".