This paper proposes a new backup protection scheme, named coordinated backup protection (CBP) scheme, for distribution networks containing distributed generation. The proposed protection scheme takes into account the issues faced by traditional backup protection, such as difficulty in setting parameters and complex cooperation, and considers the features of distribution networks, such as changeable power flow because of high penetration of distributed generation sources and insufficient measuring quantities. The CBP scheme includes two aspects: coordinated substation protection and regional master substation protection, who also work as nearby backup protection and remote backup protection respectively. The two protections support each other by local information coordination and regional information sharing, in order to improve the reliability of fault identification. The configuration principles and performances of the proposed backup protection scheme are addressed in the paper. Different fault conditions in the IEEE 14-node system have been used to illustrate and verify the feasibility of the CBP scheme.