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Safeguarding is essential in protecting children and young people (CYP) from abuse and neglect while also promoting their welfare and well-being. Characterising service provision allows us to understand changes in CYP safeguarding needs and the subsequent impact on the paediatric workforce involved. While the Scottish government has a longstanding commitment to the protection of child welfare,1 safeguarding services are not currently protected by statutory status and responsibility nominally sits with local authorities. Named doctors work with their health and social care counterparts on self-managed child protection (CP) committees, while protection of care experience children (CEC) lies with frontline practitioners and strategic leaders working with CYP and their families.2 To understand better the impact on planning and service sustainability, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) explored the workload for lead CP and CEC paediatricians working in Scotland.