Protective care or guardianship (7)
I believe the answer is:
custody
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'protective care' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'guardianship' is the second definition.
(custody is a kind of guardianship)
(Other definitions for custody that I've seen before include "State of being under arrest" , "Charge" , "lock-up?" , "Porridge" , "State of being detained by the police" .)