The Child Maintenance Service is able to assess a child for maintenance so long as they are under the age of 16 or under the age of 20, but still in full-time education and living with a parent receiving child benefit for them. Court orders for maintenance last in the first instance only until the child’s 18th birthday, but can be, and commonly are, expressed to last until the child finishes their full time education or training.  They can even be extended beyond for the rest of their lives, if “special circumstances” justify the order continuing, such as a child suffering a disability which makes them dependant on others for the rest of their lives.