“I’m 15 and pregnant — my boyfriend’s 22, and I don’t want any trouble”

A pregnant 15-year-old whose partner is 22 requires safeguarding to be held ALONGSIDE compassionate support of her reproductive choices. Lead with warmth — reassure her she is not in trouble and centre her wellbeing — while recognising a mandatory child-protection dimension that cannot be set aside. The priority is the safeguarding/child-sexual-exploitation concern: a 15-year-old is a child below the age of consent (sexual activity by an adult with a 13–15-year-old is an offence whatever she says — Sexual Offences Act 2003 s9), a 22-year-old partner with a significant age gap, minimisation ("it’s not like that"), secrecy and pressure are CSE red flags, and this must be acted on under child-protection procedures — it cannot simply be "kept between us". Handle confidentiality honestly: keep things private where you safely can, but where a child is at risk you have a duty to share information with safeguarding leads/children’s services; explain this before full disclosure where possible and keep her engaged ("I’m on your side; I’ll always tell you what I’m doing"), never promising blanket secrecy you cannot keep. Explore the relationship and wider risk sensitively (consent, coercion, grooming, others involved, home situation, sibling safety) to inform the referral. Crucially, do not let safeguarding eclipse compassionate reproductive care: assess Gillick competence for her pregnancy decision (the Fraser guidelines are for contraception), give balanced non-judgemental information on options and arrange referral and support without delay (she can self-refer to abortion services, NICE NG140), address contraception and STI screening, and safety-net for ectopic pregnancy, so she feels supported in her choices rather than punished for disclosing. The hidden agenda is fear of trouble and possible normalisation of an abusive relationship in which she may not see herself as at risk; keep her trust while fulfilling the duty, work with her where possible, make the same-day child-protection referral without contacting the partner, and ensure she leaves feeling supported and safe.