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We foster. It's a very hard, very rewarding journey.
First, call either CPS or a local agency and set up your classes. There's a mountain of stuff to do. Probably not nearly as high as the adoption stuff though. Whoever you decide to go with will walk you through the process. We took 30 hours of class, did CPR, homestudy, background check and fingerprinting, inspections, TB tests, more inspections. Just a bunch of stuff!
We only foster 0-10. My youngest child is nearly 13. We did bring in 1 14 yr old girl. Big mistake. He did fine. It was the then 18 yr old who became her target when she did not get her way. She made false accusations of SA.
Not all kids are like that, but those that have been around awhile have learned some pretty harsh things in order to survive. Older kids have special challenges, even if RAD isn't one of them. You didn't say what you considered to be older. You can get very good info from the agency that you choose.
Personally, I wouldn't rock the birth order boat. Everyone has a role in a family. J's was being the baby. He has had major adjustment issues to having little folks in the house. I cannot imagine what it would have been like if we had continued to take kids who were older than him.
My biggest concern was protecting him. Some kids are aggressive. Some are predatory. Some are great. Bottom line, though, is that J was always with me, he will always be with me, and my child must be safe. We actually disrupted on 3 kids (besides the teen) who physically threatened to harm him. Sounds really bad when you read it, but it was more than we were able to handle.
Consider it carefully. It may work out wonderfully for your family. It may not. Just be sure to talk it over with cws and your kids before you make your decision.
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