Background <p>Child protection requires a close interdisciplinary cooperation between Youth Welfare Offices and medicine, with forensic medicine playing a central role in the co-assessment of child endangerment. A variety of challenges and regional differences in services and funding models complicate the work at this interface.</p> Objective <p>This study analyzes the need for and use of (forensic) medical expertise in Rhineland-Palatinate, identifies barriers, wishes and expectations in order to enhance collaboration in child protection involving forensic medicine.</p> Method <p>Online-based survey from 21&#xa0;August to 21 November 2023 among Youth Welfare Office staff in Rhineland-Palatinate.</p> Results <p>The 136 respondents frequently sought forensic medical expertise in cases of suspected sexual (66.6%) and physical violence (62.2%) and this is considered important by 96.6% of the participants. Youth welfare offices expect a well-founded assessment and documentation that can be used in court.</p> <p>Challenges include the lack of trained clinical practitioners and the sometimes ambiguous assessments. Barriers to accessing forensic expertise lie in terms of legal requirements and distance to the examination site, making off-site locations and training desirable.</p> Discussion <p>Forensic medical expertise proves to be of considerable importance for the Youth Welfare Offices in Rhineland-Palatinate. To overcome obstacles to (forensic) medical co-assessment, the structural and financial requirements should be addressed politically in addition to training of clinical practitioners. Specialized centers with central cooperation with forensic medicine enable long-term intensified cooperation in child protection.</p>