Can I receive Child Maintenance for university student

FlippetyFlop

My daughter is about to start her final year of A-levels and is planning on going to a local university so she can live at home (she needs extra support she is autistic). She may need to do a foundation year at university before starting her degree. As I understand it child maintenance is not paid for students studying for degrees, but does this apply to foundation courses?
I have read that it is possible to get a court order to extend the child maintenance up until she is 20 if I apply before she is 18. Her father is on a very good wage and I am on benefits, but my house (the family home to both of our children) is worth 3 times as much as his and I think this will be taken into consideration. I just want some advice as to whether this would be worth pursuing. When my daughter finishes her A-levels the benefits I receive for her will stop, if the child maintenance stops too I will be forced to sell the house.

Ginger70

I think this will depend on what foundation course this actually is - it can be a grey area.
You're probably best to contact Child Maintenance and see if they'll open a case for you - possibly cheaper than pursuing the court route - I believe the CMS can overturn a court order after 12 months anyway.
I think the relevance of what he earns, you being on benefits and the discrepancy in your house values will only have a bearing in you were to go down the court route - although I presume it would depend on how long you have been divorced and whether or not it was a clean break settlement.

FlippetyFlop

Thanks...I'll contact CMS first. The foundation course would directly link to the degree course and would be at university, although it would be possible for her to do it at college. I'll see what they say.