Our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone who has inspired you in your career. It is part of Community Care’s ongoing Choose Social Work campaign, which aims to champion the brilliant work social workers do every day and inspire the next generation of practitioners.
In this entry, social worker Noemi Dziatkowska celebrates her former manager, Ella Defreitas, whom she describes as a professional with "a real understanding of people's lived experiences", who has embodied the values of her work with families.
Ella Defreitas is the kind of leader who leaves a lasting impact - not just on the families she supports, but on the people who work with her.
As service manager for parenting and family support in Wandsworth, she brings warmth, vision and deep care to every part of her role.
Although I no longer have the privilege of working with Ella, having her as my manager was truly powerful. She always saw my strengths, believed in my potential, and helped me grow in both knowledge and confidence. That's just who she is - someone who lifts others up and makes them feel valued.
Her commitment to families is clear in everything she does. From working closely with social workers and the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH), to supporting families and working with young people at risk of exploitation, Ella has always gone above and beyond.
But more than what she's done, it's how she does it - with compassion, creativity and a real understanding of people's lived experiences. Her approach is always therapeutic, strengths-based, and rooted in genuine care.
As a manager, she's one of a kind. She creates a team culture where people feel safe, supported, and inspired. She encourages professional development, values everyone's voice, and knows how to bring the best out of people. Her knowledge of local resources is second to none, and she works hard to make sure every family is connected to the right support at the right time.
Further to her current role, Ella has recently launched a life coaching service, EMD Life coaching, to support parents to find balance through 1-to-1 and group sessions as well as delivering training for professionals working with children and families to achieve purposeful parenting support interventions.
It is a powerful next step in her journey to support families and professionals in a new way. Through this, she's helping others find balance in everyday life.
Ella doesn't just do this work, she lives it. She inspires everyone around her, and her legacy in the borough, and now beyond it, will no doubt be lasting and far-reaching.
Thank you, Ella, for being amazing; for leading with heart, for believing in your team, for going above and beyond for families and for always showing us what compassionate leadership really looks like.
I'm so excited to see everything you do next. The community is lucky to have you.
How to nominate a colleague
You can nominate anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
*Despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry.*
If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com.
