Stephen Hicks

Stephen Hicks is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at The University of Manchester, serving as the 'Creativity, Health and Wellbeing' Research Lead for Creative Manchester and a member of the Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives. His teaching includes leading MA Social Work units like 'Foundations of Research' and 'Dissertation.' He holds a PhD in Applied Social Science from Lancaster University, alongside MA and Diploma in Social Work from Manchester University. His research focuses on LGBTQ+ social care assessments, community belonging, and queer theory, with notable projects like the LOASCA study and the Claremont Court housing scheme analysis. He has supervised doctoral research on transgender welfare, domestic abuse, and child protection services. His work contributes to UN SDGs related to gender equality and sustainable communities.

Key research interests include LGBTQ+ parenting, sexuality in social welfare, and child maltreatment. He has published widely, including monographs like Lesbian, Gay & Queer Parenting and edited works on feminist and queer methodologies. He serves on editorial boards for journals such as Psychology & Sexuality and Australian Social Work. His methodological expertise spans ethnography, discourse analysis, and feminist/queer approaches.

Grants include a £270,000 NIHR study on LGBTQ+ social care assessments (2021–2023) and an AHRC-funded project on place and belonging (2016–2018). He has held roles at several UK universities and maintains voluntary work with marginalized groups like homeless LGBTQ+ youth. His teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels, emphasizing critical social work practice.