Servant whose charges are small but growing (9)
I believe the answer is:
nursemaid
'servant' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for nursemaid that I've seen before include "Girl tending young children" , "Childminder" , "One employed to care for small children" , "Woman tending a child or children" , "her charges are small" .)