Ms Charlene Heng Chai Ling

Charlene Heng is recognised for her transformative leadership in suicide prevention and her dedication to strengthening Singapore’s mental health response. A key figure at Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), she has pioneered some of the nation’s most impactful initiatives in crisis care, training, and community engagement—laying the groundwork for more responsive, inclusive, and sustainable support systems for individuals in distress.​

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlene led the development of CareText, Singapore’s first 24-hour crisis text messaging service, tailored for youths struggling with verbal communication. Over 70% of users were aged 10–29 and in emotional or suicide distress. She also established SOS as a SkillsFuture and AIC-recognised Training Provider, designing nationally benchmarked Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) courses in suicide prevention that have upskilled hundreds of frontline professionals. SOS's Be A Samaritan (BAS) programme that Charlene has developed in its early phases has trained over 6,000 individuals to recognise signs of distress and offer timely help.

To improve emergency response and post-crisis care, Charlene helped launch SOS’s Crisis Support Team—a specialist unit working with emergency services to provide tailored interventions. Under her leadership, SOS doubled its counselling sessions and deepened its reach within the community. She also developed Singapore’s first formal training module on tele-therapy with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), ensuring continuity of care in remote settings.

Beyond suicide prevention, Charlene’s sector-wide influence spans workforce development, innovation, and policy. At Fei Yue and Methodist Welfare Services, she led clinical supervision, programme evaluations and training frameworks.

Nationally, she has contributed to the SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce, shaping policy to support sustainable counselling careers. Internally, she has trained local Church and Social Service workers on basic counselling and addiction, through working partnerships with 'Focus on the Family Mongolia' and continues to advocate for knowledge-sharing and equity in mental health access.​

For her unwavering commitment to advancing suicide prevention, building community resilience, and shaping sectoral capabilities, Charlene is awarded the Excellence Award 2025​.